Snowe, Collins urge Bush to include LIHEAP funds in budget

WASHINGTON – Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are joining a bipartisan coalition of their Senate colleagues urging President-elect George W. Bush to include the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program in his fiscal year 2002 budget request.

Collins and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., initiated the effort to bring together senators who strongly support the LIHEAP program.

“In light of this past year’s persistently high fuel prices, the need for the LIHEAP program has never been greater,” Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement.

“As the eligible population for heating assistance has grown during the last decade, many individuals have been forced to go without the assistance they need because of budget limitations. Those who have been most affected are primarily low-income families, senior citizens and the disabled,” said the senators.

The coalition of senators is asking Bush to request $1.65 billion in regular fiscal year 2002 funding for LIHEAP, along with $300 million in emergency funding. They also are asking for $1.65 billion in advance funding for fiscal year 2003.

“We cannot overstate the importance of this assistance to families and citizens throughout Maine,” said the senators. “The high prices for home heating oil and natural gas we have seen over the past year have caused heating bills to skyrocket, forcing Mainers to make hard choices about how to spend limited funds.”

In addition to highlighting their support for LIHEAP, the senators also specify the Weatherization Assistance Program and the State Energy Program as effective programs that complement LIHEAP by addressing the underlying problems associated with high energy costs.

Their request also asks that the President-elect consider funding these programs at higher levels than they received in fiscal year 2001.