The National Flood Insurance Program will lose funding if Congress cannot approve a budget to keep remaining government agencies open by March 22.

On Friday evening, Congress approved a $460 billion spending package to fund many federal agencies and programs. With these new appropriations bills, key housing programs under the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs have secured funding through the end of the year.

Now, the government must negotiate a second spending bill to ensure all federal agencies are funded ahead of the March 22 deadline. If Congress fails to come to a budget conclusion, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will be impacted.

The NFIP will continue to pay out valid claims until funding depletes, but if the program runs out of funds before Congress can come to a spending conclusion, no new policies can be written and existing policies cannot be renewed. Currently, the NFIP is funded through March 22.

Home sales in some areas could be impacted by an NFIP authorization lapse, as many mortgage companies will not approve loans without flood coverage. But even though the NFIP is the most commonly used flood insurance program, homeowners and future buyers may have other options; private flood insurance companies also offer coverage that would not be impacted by a government shutdown. Learn more about private flood insurance options here.