The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S2211 on April 4, 2017.
The Department oversees energy policies and is involved in how the US handles nuclear programs. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department's misguided energy regulations have caused large losses to consumers for decades.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to express my serious concerns with the budget for fiscal year 2018 recently proposed by President Trump. If adopted, this budget would have severe consequences on many Americans, but I am particularly concerned that it would be low-income families who are impacted the most. As vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will do everything in my power to make sure that does not happen.
Among countless examples within a budget that is out of touch and that will drive more American families into poverty, the President's proposal to eliminate the Community Service Block Grant, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP, and the Weatherization Assistance Program should be concerning to all of us. These are resources that are essential not only to Vermonters, but to millions of families throughout the country.
The Community Service Block Grant ensures that low-income families receive the support they need for basic food and housing assistance, financial planning tools, and fuel in winter months. LIHEAP and weatherization services ensure that families do not have to choose between food and heat. They ensure that families stay safe from harmful asbestos that may be in the walls of their old Vermont farmhouses or their inefficient mobile homes. In States like mine, home heating is a life-and-death matter.
We need to show compassion when drafting our budget and provide support for those programs that help hard-working families in need. We must see the faces behind these proposed budget cuts. Vulnerable people should never be at the whim of politically driven priorities.
We have to do better. I would like to begin by recognizing the crisis so many families will face in this country without the help of our community action agencies. Without them, families will go cold. They will choose not to eat so they can heat their homes. They will deny themselves healthcare and miss rent payments so that they can stay warm, so that they can stay alive.
Last month, I had the pleasure of seeing a longtime friend and fellow Vermonter Jan Demers, who serves as the executive director of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, CVOEO, Vermont's largest community action agency in Burlington. It was Jan who said it best, noting that, ``President Trump's budget is like one amputation after another. Not bringing health to the community but cut after cut--
loss after loss.'' I am proud that CVOEO and the other community action agencies continue to meet the needs of these families and hope all Senators will continue to support them as I have during my time in the Senate.
In recognition of their leadership, I ask unanimous consent that a statement by Jan Demers be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Good morning, my name is Jan Demers and I am the Executive Director of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. On behalf of the more than 23,000 Vermonters that CVOEO serves: Welcome. We are standing in CVOEOs Weatherization Warehouse. It is a fitting place to talk about President Trump's recently released budget. Thank you to Senator Leahy and your staff for organizing this press conference and for the leadership you provide for Vermont and the nation. Thank you to Jonathan Bond and our staff and for all the Community Action Agencies who carry on this good work. Thank you to Bobby Arnell, Sean Brown, Sarah Phillips and to our partners in the State of Vermont who uphold the values of care and wellness for all Vermonters. And thank you to Mr. Todd Alexander who typifies the strength of those we serve.
Community Action Agencies exist to support community well-being. We make sure that everyone can reach their potential and fully contribute to the total strength of our communities.
How does Mr. Trump's budget affect CVOEO? It zeros out the Community Service Block Grant--$990,687. This is the foundational grant that undergirds the majority of our programs. It zeros out the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that keeps Vermonters warm in the winter. It zeros out the Department of Energy's Weatherization Program. Thankfully the State of Vermont is our main source of Weatherization funding. However, this will mean that 30 Vermont homes will not be weatherized in our area. Just those 3 cuts amount to a total of $2,056,675.
On top of that there are the cuts to Head Start, Fair Housing, Housing assistance, Mobile Home, and Voices Against Violence. There isn't an area, program, staff person or any of the 23,000 people we served that won't be touched and experience devastation of services due to this budget.
We have heard over and over that the war on poverty didn't work. However, when the programs that created the War on Poverty in 1964 measured the percent of poverty it was at 20%. Seven years later the percentage of poverty was at 11%. It worked! Then the years of cutting started, cut after cut was enacted weakening the effort substantially. In 2012 the measured percent of poverty was 15%. Currently the percentage of poverty is 13.5%. To me that signifies that the measured efforts put into place during the Obama years are working.
There isn't a CVOEO Program that isn't decimated by this budget bringing great loss for the entire population of over 23,000 people that CVOEO served in FY 16. Community Action Agencies exist to support community well-being. Instead of health, this budget is like one amputation after another. Not bringing health to the community but cut after cut--loss after loss.
Our vision is bridging gaps and building futures for the people we serve. This budget widens the chasm and diminishes life.
This cannot be the last word in the Federal budget for FY 18.
Thank you, Senator Leahy for bringing us a better way.
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