DeLauro Applauds Release of Additional LIHEAP Funds

Press Release

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro issued the following statement in response to the announcement that the Administration has agreed to release the remaining contingency funds available for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Connecticut will receive an additional $7 million for a total funding in 2008 of $65.6 million. At the start of September, DeLauro joined with her New England Congressional colleagues to urge the Administration to release the remaining contingency funds for the program.

"The release of all of the funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is welcome news and I am pleased that the Administration heeded the request of my colleagues and I to do so.

"For many families in Connecticut and all of the New England states, when the weather gets cold they are often forced to choose between rent, food, or home heating oil. And with the price of home heating continuing to increase - an average rise of nearly $2 a gallon over the last year - it only adds to the pressure families face. By releasing these funds now, many of these families can secure oil now before prices increase further.

"This release of funds is good news for many families, but we can do more. We need to fully fund the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and I will continue to work with my colleagues to do so."

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