John Joseph Moakley: “at long last, the end is in sight. Today's Omnibus Appropriations bill contains all the major unfinished business…”

“at long last, the end is in sight. Today's Omnibus Appropriations bill contains all the major unfinished business remaining this session. It contains the Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations bill the Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations changes the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. The Treasury-Postal Appropriations bill, the reform of the Commodities Exchange markets, the balanced budget amendment fix for Medicare, the new market initiative and a whole lot else. In fact the bill is right here next to me on the desk. I hear the three people who carried it up here are in traction. But, despite its size all in all. I am pleased with the bill and I congratulate my colleagues for their hard work. However, Mr. Speaker, I want to point out one major problem in this bill the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. Although the bill includes $1.4 billion for LIHEAP funding in this fiscal year, it cuts the advanced appropriations for next fiscal year. Mr. Speaker, hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents, not to mention millions of other Americans, rely on LIHEAP to help heat their homes during the freezing winter months. If the advanced funding is cut, states will be unable to get their programs in place before the cold hits and millions of Americans could be faced with the horrible choice between heating their homes and putting food on the table. Mr.…”