Appropriations Bills

WASHINGTON – Today, House Republicans voted against increasing funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) even as millions of Americans are being hit by cold weather and higher home heating costs.

Ranking Member Dave Obey (D-WI) offered a motion to instruct House negotiators on the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill to increase LIHEAP Funding by $2 billion above last year.

“We truly have an emergency situation as far as people’s ability to pay their heating bills this winter. The Department of Energy predicts American consumers will see natural gas prices increase up to 44 percent over last year and home heating oil costs increase up to 24 percent,” said Obey. “At the same time, only 15% of the folks in this country who are eligible for getting help from LIHEAP are receiving it. We urgently need to get more money into this program, both to keep up with price increases and to take care of the growing number of people needing help because of those price increases.”

Mr. Obey first offered a motion to increase LIHEAP funding by $2 billion and pay for the increase by slighting reducing the tax cut given to folks making over a million dollars a year. Republicans rejected his attempt.

Then Obey offered a second motion, where funding for LIHEAP would be treated as an emergency. Republicans voted not to even consider the motion, blocking it on a party line vote of 226 to 196.

Obey’s motions would have put total LIHEAP funding at $4.183 billion, which is $2.176 billion more than was passed by the House and $2 billion more than was passed by the Senate.

About 5 million households received energy assistance last winter, the majority of which have at least one member who is elderly, disabled, or a child under age five.

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