Members of Congress urge White House to fully restore heating aid funds

By Devlin Barrett
Associated Press
January 8, 2003

Northern legislators said Wednesday that half a million households could be left cold if the Bush administration doesn't restore roughly $300 million to a home heating aid program.

Lawmakers from the Northeast and Midwest, pointing to rising oil prices and a harsh winter, called on the White House to restore full funding to the Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which serves seniors and low-income families.

"I come from Buffalo, New York, and we know a little bit about cold winters there," said Republican Rep. Jack Quinn. "People are having some of the most difficult times ever financially, and we need to step up to the plate."

The White House proposed $1.4 billion for LIHEAP nationally this year, compared with $1.7 billion last year. The Office of Management and Budget appears to be willing to restore some of that money. The fund has already paid out $1.38 billion, so lawmakers fear the money will dry up just as the mercury drops to its lowest levels.

Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., estimated as many as half a million households could lose heating aid if the $300 million cut is made.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said Rhode Island has had to cut its heating assistance benefit by $200 this year.

"In Rhode Island, where many families use heating oil to stay warm, when there is no oil, there is no heat," said Reed, co-chair of the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition. "Sweaters and blankets are not enough to keep you warm."

In New York, the program's biggest recipient, some 660,000 households statewide received a total of $212 million last year in LIHEAP money, and applications are up, said Sen. Hillary Clinton, a Democrat.

"It's just an issue of common sense," said Clinton. "It's about all of those families in my state and others who need this help."

Even with the OMB's actions, some 48,000 households in New York State face the loss of heating aid if the cut is carried out, according to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., said the planned cut would mean roughly 30,000 eligible households in his state would receive no heating assistance this year.