WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to help millions of Americans who are struggling with their energy bills as winter approaches, Senator Susan Collins today joined a bipartisan group of 40 senators, including Senator Olympia Snowe, in calling on the Obama Administration to restore vital federal heating aid funds in the Administration's Fiscal Year 2014 budget proposal.

Today, the Senators sent a bipartisan letter to President Barack Obama urging him to restore Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to at least the FY 2011 level of $4.7 billion.  The struggling U.S. economy and still high energy prices have caused record numbers of Americans to apply for home heating assistance.
 
"It is critical that funding be restored to at least the 2011 level, which is needed to help meet the needs of low income families and seniors in Maine," Senator Collins said.  "I hear from so many Mainers throughout our state that the high cost of home heating oil is one of the biggest concerns they face this winter."

Maine recently received $34.9 million in federal funds through the LIHEAP program for the upcoming winter.  In November, the U.S. Energy Information Administration released their Winter Fuels Outlook report which stated that the average expenditures for households that heat with heating oil are forecast to be higher than any previous winter on record.

Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources.

Text of the letter follows:

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to request that you prioritize the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in yow- Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14) budget proposal by including no less than $4.7 billion for this critical support for our least fortunate.
 
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. Energy costs are challenging for the budgets of American households. In fact, according to a recent Energy Information and Administration (EIA) report, household expenditures this winter for heating oil and natural gas are projected to increase by 19 percent and 15 percent respectively. While this constrains middle-income households, it disproportionately affects low-income households, many of which are seniors and on fixed-incomes. Moreover, with Social Security benefits increasing by only 1.7 percent this year, or an average of $19 per month, many elderly Americans will be facing difficult choices to simply provide a basic level of comfort in their home.

As supporters of the LIHEAP program we are very cognizant of the challenges that our discretionary budget faces in FY14. However, we are deeply concerned that funding for the program has declined 32 percent in recent years to $3.47 billion last year at the same time the number of households eligible for the program continues to exceed those receiving assistance. As a result, we urge you to reprioritize this program within your FY14 budget and restore funding to this indispensable program to a level of $4.7 billion.

We thank you for your consideration and look forward to working with you to address this important priority.

Sincerely,

Reed
Snowe
Sanders
Kerry
Whitehouse
Blumenthal
Rockefeller
Lieberman
Sherrod Brown
Scott Brown
Levin
Franken
Gillibrand
Klobuchar
Shaheen
Webb
Collins
Stabenow
Tim Johnson
Merkley
Casey
Murkowski
Ayotte
Pryor
Cardin
Hagan
Schumer
Leahy
Begich
Akaka
Mikulski
Lautenberg
Bingaman
Landrieu
Coons
Tester
Menendez
Wyden
Tom Udall