Coastal conservatives battle Republican leadership on flood insurance reform

Weeks before a spate of hurricanes ravaged America's coastlines, a little-noticed fault line arose among congressional Republicans.

Shortly after the House Financial Services Committee passed a slate of reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program over the summer — four of which passed unanimously — a couple dozen House Republicans suddenly bucked. In mid-July, 26 members signed a letter to House leadership to "respectfully express concerns with the current package of flood insurance bills that have recently passed the House Financial Services Committee."

"We are concerned that the package will make flood insurance unaffordable for our constituents," the members wrote, "will stall development and construction, and increase exposure to the Federal Treasury."

The signatories opposing conservative reforms were an eclectic group, including veterans and rookies, conservatives and liberals, establishment types and bomb-throwers. The one pattern: Most of the members signing the letter represent a district touching the ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.

So, the fault line is this: Conservative members who are trying to reduce federal subsidies that encourage development in flood-prone areas are facing resistance from coastal Republicans fearing the impact of losing these subsidies.