REPS. WELCH & KING RALLY BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR FULL FUNDING OF HEATING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 30, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — As the Northeast emerges from one of the most brutal winters on record, Rep. Peter Welch and Rep. Peter King (R-NY) have rallied a bipartisan coalition to fight for full funding of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). In a letter to the House Appropriations Committee penned by Welch and King, 146 lawmakers stressed the critical importance of this safety net program to struggling families.

“LIHEAP households are among the most vulnerable in the country,” the letter reads. “For these households, LIHEAP funding has been a lifeline during challenging economic times. Access to affordable home energy is not a luxury – it is a matter of health and safety.”

In making the case for full LIHEAP funding, the lawmakers highlighted the following key facts:

· Total LIHEAP funding has declined by $1.7 billion since FY2010 which equates to a 30% reduction.

· The number of households receiving LIHEAP assistance has declined 17.7 percent or 1.5 million households.

· The average LIHEAP assistance payment has been reduced by $95.

· Ninety percent of LIHEAP households have at least one resident who is a child, elderly, or disabled.

· Twenty percent of LIHEAP householdshave a resident who is a veteran.

This past winter, Vermont received $18.9 million in federal LIHEAP funding.

Yesterday, in recognition of Rep. Welch’s leadership in the House on behalf of Americans needing heating assistance, the National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition awarded him the Extra Mile Award. Previous recipients have included Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator Jim Jeffords and Senator Bernie Sanders.

The text of the Welch-King letter to the House Appropriations Committee can be viewed below and the original letter with signatures can be viewed here:

Dear Chairman Tom Cole and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro,

We are writing to request that you prioritize the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in your Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 appropriations bill by including no less than $4.7 billion for this program that provides critical support to our most vulnerable citizens.

LIHEAP helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, providing vital assistance during both the cold winter and hot summer months. LIHEAP households are among the most vulnerable in the country. According to the National Energy Assistance Director’s Association (NEADA), more than 90 percent of LIHEAP recipients have at least one household member who is a child, elderly, or disabled, and 20 percent of households contain at least one veteran. For these households, LIHEAP funding has been a lifeline during challenging economic times. Access to affordable home energy is not a luxury – it is a matter of health and safety.

We understand the ongoing discretionary budget challenges. However, we are deeply concerned that funding for LIHEAP has declined more than 30 percent in recent years. Moreover, the number of households eligible for assistance continues to exceed available funding. According to NEADA, the total number of households receiving LIHEAP assistance has declined by 17.7 percent between FY 2010 and FY 2014, from 8.1 million to 6.6 million. About 1.5 million poor households have lost access to critical LIHEAP assistance and struggle to pay for the basic necessity of home energy in addition to other essentials like food and medicine.

Funding has declined by almost $1.7 billion since FY 2010, yet energy costs have remained high, reducing the purchasing power of LIHEAP assistance. Recipients have seen their average LIHEAP grant reduced by about $95 since 2010, from $520 in FY 2010 to $424 in FY 2014. The average LIHEAP grant is estimated to cover less than half of the average home heating costs for a household this winter, meaning that many low-income families and seniors will have fewer resources available to meet other basic needs.

As you finalize your FY 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we ask that you take into account the great need for LIHEAP. We urge you to reprioritize this program and restore funding to this program to a level no less than $4.7 billion.

Thank you for your attention to and consideration of this important request.

Sincerely