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12/13/2005
HARKIN PRESSES FOR INCREASED ENERGY ASSISTANCE FOR LOW-INCOME AMERICANS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that he
will push an amendment instructing budget conferees to include $2.92
billion for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the
final budget reconciliation bill. This would provide a $24 million
boost for LIHEAP funding in Iowa. LIHEAP helps eligible low-income
families, the disabled, and senior citizens living on fixed incomes
receive relief from their high home energy costs.
“We are facing a real crisis in Iowa and across the nation. With higher
energy costs this winter, many Iowa families are worried about how they
will pay their heating bills,” said Harkin. “LIHEAP provides a vital
safety net for our nation’s low-income households and without it, many
Iowans face the impossible choice between paying their home energy
bills or other needs like prescription drugs, housing, and food.”
In the Midwest, four out of five homes are heated by natural gas.
Although the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has predicted that some
households could see their fuel bills rise by nearly 50 percent this
winter; Congressional Republicans have provided less than half of the
funding authorized for LIHEAP in FY2006. The current rise in energy
prices, along with energy debt remaining from last winter, are leading
to increased disconnections among consumers as the winter heating
season begins. Increased funding is needed to help low-income families
and seniors meet the demands of increasing energy prices and ensure
they can afford heat for their homes.
Harkin has held roundtables on LIHEAP in eastern and northwest Iowa
where he learned that applications for home heating assistance have
skyrocketed by 50 percent this year. According to the Hawkeye Area
Community Assistance Program (HACAP) in southeast Iowa, LIHEAP funds
are likely to run out in mid-January, one of the coldest months of the
year.
Last year, states served more than four million households with LIHEAP
assistance, including 85,000 Iowa households In Iowa last year, the
state surveyed households receiving LIHEAP and found that 21 percent
reported going without needed medical care and/or prescription drugs
and 12 percent reported going without food in order to pay their
heating bill.
The LIHEAP program is administered by local community action agencies
in each county. Information on applying for the LIHEAP program is
located online at http://www.dcaa.iowa.gov/bureau_EA/.
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