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Letter to Barack Obama, President of the United States - Boost Funding for Low Income Heating Assistance Funds

Letter

By: Peter Welch, Pedro Pierluisi, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Gregory Meeks, Yvette Clarke, Nydia Velázquez, Jerry Nadler, Gene Green, Jim Himes, Albio Sires, Emanuel Cleaver II, Cedric Richmond, Barbara Lee, John Larson, Steve Israel, Frank LoBiondo, Tim Walberg, Chris Gibson, Elijah Cummings, Corrine Brown, Matt Cartwright, Marcia Fudge, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Pete King, John Lewis, Jim Langevin, Lou Barletta, Paul Tonko, Bobby Scott, Jan Schakowsky, John Conyers, Jr., Steny Hoyer, Charlie Rangel, Carolyn Maloney, Tim Walz, Donna Edwards, Dan Benishek, David Cicilline, Sean Maloney, Bennie Thompson, Dave Loebsack, Joe Crowley, Grace Napolitano, Mike Quigley, Raul Grijalva, Luis Gutiérrez, Steve Cohen, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Ted Deutch, Danny Davis, Sheila Jackson Lee, Mike Doyle, Jr., Joe Courtney, Hank Johnson, Jr., Frank Pallone, Jr., Marcy Kaptur, Dan Lipinski, Rosa DeLauro, José Serrano, Jim McGovern, Louise Slaughter, Cheri Bustos, Michael Grimm, Tom Marino, Mark Pocan, Ann Kirkpatrick, Peter DeFazio, Ron Kind, Dutch Ruppersberger, Chris Van Hollen, Jr., Brian Higgins, Tim Ryan, Sandy Levin, Grace Meng, Gerry Connolly, Keith Ellison, Adam Schiff, Jim McDermott, Bobby Rush, Juan Vargas, G. K. Butterfield, Jr., Alan Lowenthal, Joe Kennedy III, Eleanor Norton, Gwen Moore, Mike Honda, Hakeem Jeffries, John Yarmuth, Bob Brady, Chellie Pingree, Mike Capuano, Suzanne Bonamici, Diana DeGette, Eliot Engel, Jared Huffman, Tony Cárdenas, John Delaney, Bill Keating, Niki Tsongas, Stephen Lynch, Dan Kildee, Richard Hanna, Gary Peters, Katherine Clark, Annie Kuster, Richard Neal, Betty McCollum, Judy Chu, Ben Luján, Jr., Al Green, Chaka Fattah, Sr., Kyrsten Sinema, Elizabeth Esty, David Scott, Mike Fitzpatrick, Maxine Waters, Bill Foster
Date: Dec. 18, 2014
Issues: Unemployed and Low-Income Housing and Property

Dear Mr. President,

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

LIHEAP is the main federal program that 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 budget request, we ask that you take into account the great need for LIHEAP. We urge you to reprioritize this program within your FY 2016 budget 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.


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