Representatives Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and Rep. Peter King (R-NY), the leading House advocates for funding the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), have rallied a bipartisan group of 137 lawmakers in support of this vital safety net program. In a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, the group calls for LIHEAP to be funded at $4.7 billion for fiscal year 2015.
“LIHEAP helps to ensure that people do not have to choose between paying their energy bills and paying for food and medicine,” the letter reads. “The record breaking and life threatening cold that has swept much of the nation this winter is a reminder of the importance of this program. A strong LIHEAP program is necessary to effectively meet the critical needs of our constituents, especially as energy costs remain high, the economy is still rebounding, and record numbers of families turn to the program for assistance.”
LIHEAP funding has been slashed 30 percent in recent years, leaving low-income families, children and seniors out in the cold. Ninety percent of the households that receive heating assistance have a child, a senior or someone disabled.
This winter, Vermont received $18.3 million in federal LIHEAP funding. The State of Vermont appropriated an additional $9.7 million for the program and just under 28,000 Vermont households received heating assistance.
Vermonters seeking home heating assistance may visit the website of the Department of Children and Families athttp://dcf.vermont.gov/esd/fuel_assistance.
You can read the original letter with signatures here.
WASHINGTON, DC (April 7th) – Rep. Peter Welch
Welch, bipartisan group of 137 House lawmakers support of low income heating assistance
Submitted by tim
on