(The Center Square) — The prolonged government shutdown has disrupted the National Flood Insurance Program, leaving roughly half a million Louisiana policyholders in limbo and complicating property sales, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said Friday.

The program, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has stopped writing policies and paused renewals of existing ones, a scenario Louisiana officials warned in September could hobble real estate transactions and weaken the government’s ability to pay claims if a major storm hits.