Washington, D.C. -   Today, U.S. Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.) joined a bipartisan group of House lawmakers in urging the Labor Health and Human Services (HHS) appropriators to include more than $5 billion in funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2009.

“With energy prices rapidly on the rise, Americans across the country have been forced to tighten their belts this winter to cover the costs of their home heating bills,” said English, a strong advocate of the LIHEAP program.  “Our low-income families and seniors are already struggling to make ends meet and should not be forced to shoulder Congress’s inability to provide proper funding.”

LIHEAP helps low-income households across the nation by providing money to help pay for heating and air conditioning costs.  According to the to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the price of home heating oil has nearly tripled since 2001– rising from $627 to heat the average home in the winter of 2001 to $1,841 per household in 2007.

Today, English was joined by a bipartisan group of members of Congress in a letter urging the Labor Health and Human Services (HHS) appropriators to provide $5.1 billion for LIHEAP in FY 2009 and to allocate advance appropriations for FY 2010.

“A harsh winter coupled with sharp energy price spikes, has forced many Pennsylvania families to choose between filling the tank in their car or filling the tank in their basement this winter,” English said.  “By providing advanced appropriations for LIHEAP, Congress can help working low-income families, senior citizens and disabled individuals maintain economic stability.”

LIHEAP reaches more than five million households every year.  Nearly two thirds of the households receiving LIHEAP benefits have incomes of less than $8,000.   

“Despite tight fiscal restraints, it is critical that we provide the necessary funds for this vital program,” English concluded.

*Copy of the letter follows:

March 19, 2008

The Honorable David R. Obey                         The Honorable James T. Walsh
Chairman                                                           Ranking Member
Subcommittee on the Labor, Health and           Subcommittee on Labor, Health and
Human Services, and Education                        Human Services, and Education
Committee on Appropriations                           Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives                          U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515                                   Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Walsh:

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides a vital safety net for our nation’s low-income households.  LIHEAP helps low-income families and seniors remain healthy and secure from bitter cold winters in the North and hot summers in the South.  We are writing to request that the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill provide $5.1 billion for LIHEAP in fiscal year (FY) 2009, the funding levels set forth in the last authorization approved for this program, and that the allocation provide for advance appropriations for FY 2010. 

Funding LIHEAP at this level in regular funding and advance appropriations can help working low-income families, senior citizens, and disabled individuals maintain economic stability.  Many low-income families, disabled individuals, and senior citizens living on fixed incomes face unaffordable home energy costs—spending up to 17 percent of their income on home energy bills.  The price of home heating oil has nearly tripled since 2001 – rising from $627 to heat the average home in the winter of 2001-2002 to $1,841 per household in 2007-2008.  The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Short Term Outlook (October 2007) projected record heating oil and propane prices for winter 2007-2008.  According to the report, in comparison to last winter, the cost to heat a home with home heating oil increased by $375 to $1,841, propane by $273 to $1,622 and natural gas by $87 to $900. A typical tank of heating oil holds 275 gallons.  The cost for one fill is approaching $900 and lasts less than half a winter heating season.  According to the EIA, households will spend an average of 10-22 percent more on their heating bills this winter than they spent during the 2006-2007 winter.  Meanwhile, the average LIHEAP grant is now less than $400 and only about 15 percent of eligible households receive this vital assistance.   
 In addition, the program helps low-income homeowners weatherize their homes to save energy and lower their energy burden.  On average, weatherization reduces energy usage while also reducing heating bills by 31 percent and overall energy bills by $200 to $250 per year. 

 Energy is a basic need, and without LIHEAP assistance, low-income families, the disabled, and senior citizens face the impossible choice between paying their home energy bills or affording other basic necessities such as prescription drugs, housing, and food.  In 2005, the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) surveyed over 2,000 LIHEAP recipients on the choices made by households when faced with high-energy bills.  The survey found that between years 2000 and 2005:

• 44 percent skipped paying or paid less than their entire home energy bill in the previous year.  (Households with children or households with income below 50 percent of the poverty level were more likely to do so.);
• 47 percent  went without medical or dental care due to unaffordable energy bills in the past five years;
• 32 percent did not fill their prescriptions or took less than their full dose of a prescribed medicine due to energy bills in the past five years;

Finally, advance LIHEAP funding enables states to pre-purchase fuel and to start planning for the winter heating season in spring and early summer and improves program management.   It also ensures that states provide timely assistance to low-income families who cannot afford to wait.

 Thank you for your consideration to our request.

      Sincerely,

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