Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, and Harris County Attorney Menefee Join Houston Leaders to Confront Climate-Driven Insurance Crisis

HOUSTON—U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), and Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee joined local leaders, advocates, and experts yesterday at the Kashmere Multi-Service Center for a roundtable on the growing economic strain caused by climate change-fueled insurance costs. The discussion occurred while severe storms raced across Houston with wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour.

Representatives from over 15 organizations, including Climate Power en Acción, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Air Alliance Houston, discussed how climate-related disasters—like flooding and hurricanes—are driving up insurance premiums and destabilizing markets.

Participants highlighted how these rising costs disproportionately burden working families in flood-prone areas, many of whom are already facing financial hardship. The discussion also explored urgent policy reforms to improve affordability and expand community resilience—ranging from federal insurance reform to local disaster preparedness efforts.

The roundtable was held three days after the release of a poll conducted by Impact Research and Climate Power on Texas Home Insurance. Some of the poll’s key findings included that 92 percent of Texas homeowners are concerned about the cost of their home insurance premiums, and nine in 10 Texas voters think Texas elected officials should do more to help reduce their rising costs.

“This work is personal to me. As a Hurricane Harvey survivor, I know Texas is ground zero for costly extreme weather events that tear apart people’s homes, destroy their businesses, and take their lives,” said Antonieta Cadiz, Deputy Executive Director for Climate Power En Acción. “Today’s visit puts us one step closer to solving this problem for homeowners in Texas and beyond. I’m grateful to Senator Whitehouse for making the time–something our own United States senators here in Texas are apparently incapable of.”

“Change comes when communities get fed up. A staggering 92% of Texans are concerned about rising property insurance costs, and for good reason. Texas is a hotspot for the extreme weather that is skyrocketing premiums, increasing deductibles, and getting homeowners thrown off their policies altogether. All of this is driven by climate change, and Texas families are bearing the brunt of it,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). “If we can fix this problem in Texas, we can do it anywhere. People are counting on us to keep insurance costs down and protect their investments when natural disasters hit.”

“In Houston, we know all too well that repeat disasters have led to sky-high home insurance premiums and skyrocketing deductibles, or flat-out denials to insure,” said  Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX). “We need solutions to make housing affordable for all communities, not just the wealthy. As extreme weather disasters worsen, home ownership will become unattainable for many Americans, so we have to act now.”

“Here in the Gulf Coast, we see the impacts of climate change firsthand. To make matters worse, now insurance companies are raising premiums or running away from the state altogether when we need protection most,” said Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee. “Our state leaders aren’t trying hard enough to solve this problem. In 2021, we had a winter storm that killed hundreds of people and caused $195 billion in damages. While homeowners waded through the insurance claims and wreckage, Governor Abbott’s friends made a cool $2.4 billion. That’s corruption, and it needs to be rooted out.”

“Climate change not only creates environmental issues but also poses a significant economic crisis that directly impacts our pocketbooks. Texas leaders have failed Houston by sticking their heads in the sand. They cannot solve a problem without fully acknowledging the impacts of climate change,” said Tsion Amare, Texas Political Affairs Manager at Environmental Defense Fund. “The Houston neighborhoods hit hardest by extreme weather often can’t absorb the economic shock of storm damage, even with relief funds. Rising insurance costs make recovery even harder, especially for low-income and black and brown communities already experiencing the compounded impacts of climate change. As the Trump Administration and Texas leaders attempt to bury the financial costs of climate disasters, federal and state policymakers should continue to put these costs in the spotlight and advance solutions to solve this crisis.”