Reps. Hodes and Shea-Porter Call for Additional Home-Energy Assistance
Photos by Caroline Bridges
LIHEAP
New Hampshire Union Leader
Aoife Connors
Boston University Washington News Service
Feb 11, 2009
WASHINGTON—New Hampshire Democratic Reps. Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter joined other members of Congress Wednesday in a last-minute push to include $1 billion in the economic stimulus legislation for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
The $820 billion House version of the stimulus package included $1 billion for the program The Senate $838 billion version excluded funds for the energy aid program, widely known by its acronym, LIHEAP.
Hodes said that the $1 billion he and his colleagues were seeking included an additional $8 million for New Hampshire.
“Given the financial burdens of the terrible situation in our economy, this money is especially important for New Hampshire and the residents of the Northeast who are battling with a cold and snowy winter,” Hodes said.
Speaking after the Wednesday briefing, Hodes said “we are hopeful” that the House and Senate conferees on the package would restore the money that the Senate bill did not include.
“Carol Shea-Porter and I have been so outspoken about LIHEAP for I think so long now that they call us Mr. and Mrs. LIHEAP. When [House Majority Leader] Steny Hoyer sees us coming, he goes, ‘Oh no! Here come Mr. and Mrs. LIHEAP!’” Hodes said
“It is unimaginable to me that the Senate did not include $1 billion for LIHEAP in this recovery package,” he said. Calling on the conferees to include the $1 billion in the final bill, Hodes said, “It has to be in there, and we’re going to keep fighting to make sure its there.”
Shea-Porter said, “I’m astounded that it is not included because all of the senators obviously have constituents that cannot afford to pay for their heating bills and their cooling bills.”
If the LIHEAP funds are not included, she said, “there’ll be another fight and we’ll put it in the appropriations bill and the fight will go on. But it’s an argument that we shouldn’t have to have, and I don’t understand why this is a political issue; this is a necessity.”
In December, ice storms left almost 60 percent of New Hampshire homes without power. Hodes said this “caused terrible permanent damage,” and the $6 billion in repair costs, he said, are going to be passed onto the consumers.
He added that the LIHEAP money is absolutely critical for New Hampshire and low- income families everywhere.
“I have every faith that we will come to the conclusion that this is something that every American public think is worthy to spend on, to ensure that people are warm or properly cool,” Shea-Porter said.
Last year 35,000 families benefited from LIHEAP funds in New Hampshire. “Those are the families who came forward and asked for the assistance,” Shea-Porter said. Many families had to make difficult choices, Shea-Porter said, “for example not paying for prescriptions because they had to pay for their heat or letting themselves fall behind in rent or mortgage because they had to pay for heat.”
If the stimulus bill omits LIHEAP funds, Hodes said, “we’re going to keep fighting this fight every day, even when it is warm, we’re going to remind people that’s the time we need to be thinking about the winter that’s coming.”
####
