DELAURO ON LIHEAP FUNDING LEVELS

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Rosa L.DeLauro (CT-3) issued the following statement in response to the funding levels for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) forFY2012.

Last year, LIHEAP was funded at $4.701billion. This year, the Administration requested $2.570 billion for theprogram, a cut of nearly 50 percent. The initial spending levelsproposed in the House of Representatives included $3.392 billion infunding for this program, and the final level is $3.472 billion. Ofthese funds, Connecticut will receive $79.531 million for FY2012.

"I am disappointed in the funding levelsfor the LIHEAP program for the coming year, but given the initialfunding cuts proposed by the Administration and the House MajorityParty, these cuts are not as deep as they could have been. With theAdministration proposing to cut nearly half this vital program, we began in a deep hole to restore the funding to an acceptable level," saidCongresswoman DeLauro. "In this difficult economy, with sky-high energyprices and cold winters, families throughout the country rely on theLIHEAP program. About 117,000 Connecticut residents, and approximately 9 million Americans, depend on this critical program. I believe that wehave a moral obligation to care for our most vulnerable citizens, andthat means fully funding the LIHEAP program. So while I am disappointedwe could not keep the same funding level as last year, I will continueto look for ways to supplement this program as needed through emergencyspending. We cannot leave American families out in the cold."

Mark Wolfe, the Executive Director of the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association stated that "While we are disappointed that funding for LIHEAP will be reduced by about $1.2billion from the FY 2011 level of $4.7 billion, we are relieved that the Congress did not accept the far deeper cuts proposed by theAdministration of almost $2.5 billion that would have resulted inmillions of families losing their eligibility for the program. Under the compromise reached by the appropriations committees, we expect to beable to continue to serve up to 9 million households although at areduced grant level. Hopefully, if the prices remain high Congress willrevisit the funding level as part of an emergency appropriation. Thanksto the leadership of Rep. DeLauro, the Congress was able to hold theline at a level that will allow us to continue to serve millions ofstruggling poor households."