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) for FY2012.

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

"I am disappointed in the funding levels for the LIHEAP program for the coming year, but given the initial funding cuts proposed by the Administration and the House Majority Party, these cuts are not as deep as they could have been. With the Administration proposing to cut nearly half this vital program, we began in a deep hole to restore the funding to an acceptable level," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "In this difficult economy, with sky-high energy prices and cold winters, families throughout the country rely on the LIHEAP program. About 117,000 Connecticut residents, and approximately 9 million Americans, depend on this critical program. I believe that we have a moral obligation to care for our most vulnerable citizens, and that means fully funding the LIHEAP program. So while I am disappointed we could not keep the same funding level as last year, I will continue to look for ways to supplement this program as needed through emergency spending. 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 $1.2 billion from the FY 2011 level of $4.7 billion, we are relieved that the Congress did not accept the far deeper cuts proposed by the Administration of almost $2.5 billion that would have resulted in millions of families losing their eligibility for the program. Under the compromise reached by the appropriations committees, we expect to be able to continue to serve up to 9 million households although at a reduced grant level. Hopefully, if the prices remain high Congress will revisit the funding level as part of an emergency appropriation. Thanks to the leadership of Rep. DeLauro, the Congress was able to hold the line at a level that will allow us to continue to serve millions of struggling poor households."