Reed Urges President to Release Energy Assistance Funds
Reed Urges President to Release Energy Assistance Funds
Wednesday, January 5, 2005
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Southern New England, Oil Prices Remain High and the Economy has not yet Recovered
WASHINGTON -As Rhode Island and much of the country brace for another major winter storm, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is calling on President Bush to release the remaining $200 million in emergency funds from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help alleviate the burden high energy prices have placed on working families and seniors in Rhode Island and throughout the country.
In December, Congress approved $300 million in emergency LIHEAP funding for fiscal year 2005. The President has released only $100 million.
"Congress has given President Bush the ability to help Rhode Islanders and Americans who are struggling to keep up with the cost of heating their homes," Reed said. "While the economy has not yet recovered and energy prices remain high, major strains are placed on seniors and working families trying to pay their heating bills."
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.
LIHEAP supports approximately 4.5 million households annually. Nearly half are families with children under 18, with senior citizens, persons with disabilities and working poor individuals as the remaining beneficiaries. It provides a vital safety net for our nation's low-income households.
For many low-income families, disabled individuals and senior citizens living on fixed incomes, home energy costs are unaffordable. Many states are receiving an increased number of LIHEAP applications this winter due to high-energy prices and slow economic recovery in parts of our country. The release of additional LIHEAP funding will ensure that states have resources available to support their energy assistance programs through the winter.
Reed, the co-chair of the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition, has led the fight in the Senate to increase funding for LIHEAP.
http://reed.senate.gov/liheap/Release200Million1-5-05.htm