Judd Gregg: “I think that establishes pretty definitively what the number is. In fact, I drafted an amendment, which I intend to…”

“I think that establishes pretty definitively what the number is. In fact, I drafted an amendment, which I intend to offer at this time, which would increase the funding for low-income energy assistance by an amount of $1.276 billion. The $1.276 billion which is, I believe, the agreed-to number about which 41 Members of this Senate, all of whom I believe are probably supporting various amendments in this area, signed a letter asking the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee to put in place an increase in the LIHEAP program--is going to be the amount by which my amendment increases the LIHEAP program. That is a significant increase, a rather dramatic increase, in fact, and it represents, as a percentage, probably about a 50-percent increase in the program or well over a 50-percent increase; in fact, a 58-percent increase in funding and, in fact, hits the target we need to aim at in order to make sure that people of low incomes, living on fixed incomes, will have the necessary support they need to fund the cost of their energy this winter during the coldest months so they do not have to be put in a situation where they choose between food and warmth, something that would be inexcusable and inappropriate. There is a further thing that my amendment does because I do believe in a fiscally responsible approach, and I believe Congress has an obligation to set priorities.…”