Political Quotes

“I rise today in support of H.R. 4250 , a bill to reauthorize the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program [LIHEAP] and the Head Start Program. For the poor in the north, heat is no less essential than food, clothing, and shelter. Without sufficient funds to pay for heating in the winter, poor families will either freeze or divert scarce funds from food or other subsistence needs to pay for heat. As a result of these terrible dilemmas, less fortunate citizens in cold States like Maine view the approaching winter every year with tremendous anxiety. LIHEAP was originally established to help alleviate these fears and provide a partial measure of security for low-income families in the winter. Unfortunately, due to repeated cuts, the funding level for LIHEAP since the 1980's has not reflected the real human need for the program. In fiscal year 1985, LIHEAP received an appropriation of $2.1 billion, but funding for the program steadily declined to $1.35 billion in fiscal year 1993 in unadjusted dollars. If funding for LIHEAP had remained constant since fiscal year 1985 in dollars adjusted for inflation, today's appropriation would have to be about $2.7 billion-- far higher than the $1.4 billion actually approved for the fiscal year 1994 heating season. Perhaps most disturbing about these cuts is the fact that LIHEAP could hardly be called an unnecessary or wasteful program.…”