Kennedy, Kerry, Colleagues Call on Administration to Release Low Income Heating Oil Assistance

Statement

Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, along with thirty of their Senate colleagues from both parties, today called on President Bush release $20 million in contingency Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds and to fully support at least $2.411 billion for the program, the amount which Congress recently approved and the President vetoed.

Senator Kennedy said, "Families in the Commonwealth are being squeezed to the brink with the rising cost of gas, mortgages, medical care and education. It's unconscionable that the Bush Administration turns its back on families struggling to heat their homes. I urge the President to reverse course and fully fund the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, so that this emergency relief will be there for so many who need it this winter."

"It's almost December and the clock is ticking while the Bush Administration sleeps. Thousands of people in Massachusetts, urgently need help with the soaring home heating costs that will hurt our state's low-income families," said Senator Kerry. "This Administration needs to make the emergency funds available to help families who need it most. No one should have to worry about how to put food on their table or go without medical care just so they can heat their homes. Without action now, that could be a very real tragic choice for many senior citizens. I strongly urge the Administration to take the initiative now to make sure working people and senior citizens throughout Massachusetts aren't left in the cold."

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source