Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006
TRANSPORTATION, TREASURY, THE JUDICIARY, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006 -- (Senate - October 20, 2005)
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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Iowa for his eloquent and, to me, very persuasive remarks about the need for supporting this amendment. This is something we know is going to happen. Everyone understands energy prices are soaring out of sight. Last year, we did not have sufficient resources for LIHEAP with prices that were much cheaper. This year we know we are not going to have sufficient resources.
So we have come together on a bipartisan basis. Senator Collins, Senator Snowe, Senator Smith, Senator Coleman--many of my Democratic colleagues have come together to do what should be obvious to all of us: raise the level of LIHEAP funding to accommodate these huge increases in prices. It is very simple, I think--I hope.
I hope we are in a process of beginning to understand all of the demands that are being placed on low-income Americans, and particularly seniors. They received the Social Security increase of about $65 a month. Most of that was taken up automatically by increased payments to their Medicare Program, and whatever little is left is going to be swallowed up by these rising energy prices.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program needs $5.1 billion just to maintain the status quo. The appropriation to date, what the President supports, is $2 billion. Now, $2 billion was inadequate last year; it is grossly inadequate this year.
I understand our colleague, the Senator from Missouri, has indicated in terms of concept of the program he supports it, and I appreciate those remarks. We might have a debate about whether this is the appropriate vehicle to place this amendment, but, frankly, time is running out; floor time is running out, and unless we are able to appropriate these funds immediately, we are going to have a real issue of getting them to deserving people throughout this country.
Last winter Congress provided $2.2 billion. Again this year they have already cut that in the budget to $2 billion. That is the administration's request. It was insufficient last year. In Rhode Island, 12,146 households, including the elderly, received utility termination notices. The average balance of those who were disconnected was over $1,000.
Today, my State and other States are struggling to get these people reconnected using LIHEAP funds to get them back on the utility grid. That is even before we have had the first cold days of winter.
A Rhode Islander receiving $400 from LIHEAP last year could buy approximately 235 gallons of heating oil, almost a full tank, but at $2.60 a gallon, which is the price that is being paid today--in fact, in many cases that is a pretty good price; in fact, it is much higher--$400 will only buy 150 gallons of oil. That is a little over half a tank and may last in a very cold New England winter about 2 1/2 weeks.
This year, with even higher energy prices facing Americans and more Americans living in poverty, the administration and the House have simply come forward with $2 billion. It is absolutely inadequate. We know it. We have an opportunity today to make it so that at least it will buy as much this year as it did last winter.
The average price for heating oil is $2.65 per gallon. That is 65 cents higher than it was last year this time. The average price of propane is $1.95 per gallon. That is 32 cents higher than last year. The average price for natural gas is $15.25 per million cubic feet. That is $2.32 higher than last year.
What we have seen consistently, what we all recognize, what we see every day when we pass the gasoline station, is extraordinarily high energy prices. How can we reasonably fund this program with less dollars than we did last year with these soaring prices? We are just trying to maintain what we have.
Frankly, last year a significant number of households that would qualify because of income could not receive assistance because those funds were insufficient.
I believe we have to increase the LIHEAP funding to its fully authorized level of $5.1 billion. This bipartisan amendment would do that by increasing the appropriation by the sum of $3.1 billion. I hope my colleagues will join us and support this amendment.
I reserve the remainder of my time.
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