WASHINGTON, D.C. —Senators Susan Collins and Jack Reed (D-RI), co-chairs of the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition, today sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader William Frist and Minority Leader Harry Reid urging the leaders to make certain that Congress fully fund the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) program before adjourning for the year.
In a vote of 63-28, the U.S. Senate passed a motion offered by Senators Collins and Reed that encourages Senate conferees on the budget reconciliation conference report to include $2.9 billion for LIHEAP. This funding would be in addition to the $2.1 billion already included in the FY 2006 Labor-HHS Appropriations Act, bringing the total appropriated amount to $5.1 billion.
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.
Following is the full text of the letter:
Dear Majority Leader Frist and Democratic Leader Reid:
Yesterday an overwhelming bipartisan majority of sixty-three Senators voted in support of our motion to instruct Budget Conferees to make available $2.92 billion dollars in the Budget Reconciliation Conference Report to be used to fund the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) at its $5.1 billion authorized level. This vote marked the fifth time in ten weeks that a majority of the Senate has gone on record in support of fully funding LIHEAP.
As Co-Chairs of the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition, we urge you to make certain that before Congress adjourns for the year, we fund LIHEAP at its fully authorized level of $5.1 billion. We also urge that these resources be allocated in such a way that ensures cold weather states facing high energy costs this winter will have the funding necessary to guarantee the public health and safety of its low-income households.
High energy prices threaten to overcome low-income households in the United States , many of which include individuals with disabilities or senior citizens living on fixed incomes. No family in our nation should be forced to choose between heating their home or putting food on the table for their children. No senior citizen should have to decide between buying life saving prescriptions or paying utility bills.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.