Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2007

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I wish to discuss funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, commonly known as LIHEAP. LIHEAP is a Federal grant program that provides vital funding to help low-income and elderly citizens meet their home energy needs.

Due to record-high oil costs, the situation for our neediest citizens is especially dire this winter. That is why I have sponsored Senator SANDERS' amendment to increase LIHEAP funding by $800 million.

Nationwide, over the last 4 years, the number of households receiving LIHEAP assistance increased by 26 percent from 4.6 million to about 5.8 million, but during this same period, Federal funding increased by only 10 percent. The result is that the average grant declined from $349 to $305. In addition, since August 2007, crude oil prices quickly rose from around $60 a barrel to nearly $100 a barrel earlier this month, so a grant buys less fuel today than it would have just 4 months ago. According to Maine's Office of Energy Independence and Security, the average price of heating oil in our State is $3.30 per gallon, which is $1.09 higher than at this time last year.

This large, rapid increase, combined with less LIHEAP funding available per family, imposes hardship on people who use home heating oil to heat their homes. Low-income families and senior citizens living on limited incomes in Maine and many other States face a crisis situation in staying warm this winter.

The Sanders amendment would provide an additional $800 million as emergency funding for LIHEAP. The term ``emergency'' could not be more accurate. Our Nation is in a heating emergency this winter. Families are being forced to choose among paying for food, housing, prescription drugs, and heat. No family should be forced to suffer through a severe winter without adequate heat.

I urge all my colleagues to support the Sanders proposal to provide vital home energy assistance for the most vulnerable of our citizens.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source