SENATOR COLLINS CALLS ON CONGRESS TO ELIMINATE SPECIAL TAX BREAKS THAT BENEFIT HUGE, CORPORATE OIL COMPANIES TO HELP PAY FOR HEATING ASSISTANCE FOR LOW-INCOME AMERICANS

WASHINGTON, DC— Senator Susan Collins, who has been working to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), is calling on Congress to pay for the increase by eliminating subsidies and special tax breaks that benefit the major oil companies, which are expected to soon report record breaking profits. Senator Collins, joined by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), both of whom lead the Northeast, Midwest Coalition, have introduced a provision in the Senate that would direct the Senate Finance Committee to identify ways to pay for critical increases to the LIHEAP program by offsetting costs through special tax breaks that benefit the massive oil industry.

"At a time when huge oil corporations are expected to report record profits, and Congress is dealing with troubling budget challenges, it makes no sense to continue providing these companies with special subsidies and tax breaks. These are dollars that could be better spent on critical programs such as LIHEAP, which helps low-income Americans heat their homes in the winter months," said Senator Collins.

Earlier this week, Senator Collins also offered an amendment that would increase funding for LIHEAP to bring the program to its authorized level of $5.1 billion. During a speech on the Senate floor, she pointed out that the recent hurricanes have caused heating oil and gasoline prices to soar, which will force many families in Maine and throughout the nation to choose between turning off their heat or putting food on their tables.

Senator Collins, co-chair of the Northeast-Midwest coalition, has long been committed to seeing LIHEAP assistance funded at an adequate level.

Each year, 4.5 million low-income families rely on LIHEAP to assist with the costs of heating their homes. LIHEAP is a federal block grant program that provides states with annual funding to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. In addition to helping to pay energy bills for low-income families and the elderly, LIHEAP helps to fund energy crisis intervention programs, low-cost residential weatherization and other energy-related home repairs.

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