WASHINGTON - Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and 90 of his House colleagues today called for full funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in 2012. In a bipartisan letter sent to the leaders of the Appropriations Committee responsible for the funding of the program, Rep. Markey and the other members cited high energy prices and lingering effects from the economic downturn as reasons to continue to fully fund the vital program.
“Energy is a basic need and without LIHEAP assistance, low income families, senior citizens and the disabled face difficult choices between paying their home energy bills or affording other basic necessities such as prescription drugs or food," writes Rep. Markey and the other Members in the letter. “Cutting funding for LIHEAP so dramatically would have a devastating impact on millions of American families already suffering from the economic downturn. We must ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable families can continue to receive help by fully funding this critical program."
The request comes as President Obama and House Democrats, including Rep. Markey and many of the signers of today’s letter, have pushed to cut the billions of dollars in tax breaks that go to oil and gas companies. House Republicans have begun to show divisions on the oil tax break issue, as the Republican Budget Committee Chairman, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) yesterday split with his leadership and expressed support for a repeal of the subsidies.
The full letter can be found HERE.
