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Letter to Chairman Tom Cole and Ranking Member Rosa Delauro, Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies - Funding of Heating Assistance Program

Letter

By: Pete King, Peter Welch, Mark Takano, Katherine Clark, Gerry Connolly, Raul Grijalva, Jim McGovern, Annie Kuster, Filemon Vela, Jr., Chris Gibson, Chellie Pingree, Louise Slaughter, Ed Perlmutter, Adam Schiff, Julia Brownley, Elijah Cummings, Betty McCollum, Cheri Bustos, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Corrine Brown, Debbie Dingell, Suzanne Bonamici, Yvette Clarke, Tom Marino, Bobby Rush, Carolyn Maloney, Ben Luján, Jr., Brendan Boyle, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Denny Heck, Danny Davis, Tim Walz, Jerry Nadler, Chris Collins, Al Green, John Katko, G. K. Butterfield, Jr., Ann Kirkpatrick, Gene Green, Tony Cárdenas, Dan Benishek, Jackie Speier, Kilili Sablan, Ron Kind, Bill Pascrell, Jr., John Sarbanes, Chaka Fattah, Sr., Alan Lowenthal, David Cicilline, Mike Doyle, Jr., Albio Sires, André Carson, John Lewis, Tulsi Gabbard, Collin Peterson, Raul Ruiz, Emanuel Cleaver II, Niki Tsongas, Chris Van Hollen, Jr., Bruce Poliquin, Bennie Thompson, Candice Miller, Stephen Lynch, David Scott, Gwen Moore, Brian Higgins, Beto O'Rourke, Lou Barletta, Dave Loebsack, Dan Kildee, Paul Tonko, Alma Adams, Brenda Lawrence, Dan Lipinski, Bobby Scott, Bill Foster, Pedro Pierluisi, Keith Ellison, Jan Schakowsky, John Conyers, Jr., Mike Capuano, Loretta Sanchez, Gregory Meeks, Matt Cartwright, Mark Pocan, Seth Moulton, Donna Edwards, John Delaney, GT Thompson, Jr., Bill Keating, Sean Maloney, Ryan Costello, Jim Langevin, Stacey Plaskett, Barbara Lee, John Larson, Grace Napolitano, John Yarmuth, Jim Costa, Luis Gutiérrez, Richard Neal, Steve Cohen, Marc Veasey, Judy Chu, Diana DeGette, Frederica Wilson, Juan Vargas, Marcia Fudge, Peter DeFazio, Kathleen Rice, Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Kennedy III, Don Beyer, Jr., Eleanor Norton, Linda Sánchez, Mike Fitzpatrick, Joe Crowley, Richard Hanna, Mark DeSaulnier, Frank LoBiondo, Donald Norcross, Lois Frankel, Ruben Gallego, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Jim McDermott, Steny Hoyer, Joyce Beatty, Frank Guinta, Terri Sewell, Eliot Engel, Sheila Jackson Lee, Jim Himes, Jared Polis, Lacy Clay, Jr., Joe Courtney, Elizabeth Esty, Hank Johnson, Jr., Earl Blumenauer, Don Payne, Jr., Maxine Waters, Sandy Levin, Grace Meng
Date: March 27, 2015
Issues: Unemployed and Low-Income Entitlements and the Safety Net Housing and Property

Dear Chairman Tom Cole and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro,

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

LIHEAP 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 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we ask that you take into account the great need for LIHEAP. We urge you to reprioritize this program 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.

Sincerely,


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