Helping Mainers keep warm this winter

By U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud
(D-Maine)
    Each year, families, the elderly, and the disabled are forced to choose between buying food, medications, and heating fuel for their homes. This is a choice that no American should be forced to make.
    The federal government recognized that the cost of fuel is beyond any one person’s control and stepped up to the plate in 1981 by creating the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Today, the program helps millions stay warm in the winter.
    I am pleased that the Congress recently fully funded the program by passing a bill that included $5.1 billion for LIHEAP. But during these difficult economic times, it is now more important than ever that all available LIHEAP resources reach Mainers that are most in need. That’s why I recently joined with my colleagues to send a letter to the President urging him to release the program’s contingency resources, which total $590 million, as soon as possible to address the needs of families and seniors who are struggling in the current economic crisis. We also urged the President to dedicate sufficient funds for this program in his fiscal year 2011 budget request.
    Unfortunately, the need for LIHEAP continues to be great. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA), states assisted more than 8 million households last year, which represents a one-third increase over fiscal year 2008. NEADA also anticipates a 20 percent increase in LIHEAP applications this year. Even at the record appropriations levels passed by Congress in the last two years, demand for LIHEAP assistance continues to exceed funding.
    The economic downturn has placed additional pressure on families throughout the country. Higher than average unemployment rates, as well as increased participation in public benefits such as food stamps, are clear signals that many are still struggling to make ends meet. As more people turn to LIHEAP for assistance, the release of these emergency funds may be the only thing helping to keep many Mainers and their families warm this winter.
    Releasing emergency LIHEAP funding will supplement the funding already being spent in every state, helping thousands of families and seniors with their energy bills and, in doing so, create a noticeable economic multiplier. Less burdened by energy bills, these LIHEAP recipients will have more to spend on other essentials, and can avoid the choice between paying energy bills and putting food on their table.
    For many years, LIHEAP has been a vital safety net for low-income families and seniors. As Mainers struggle through a harsh winter in the midst of an economic recession, these funds will be more important than ever. I am hopeful that the President will realize the importance of this program and release the emergency funding.