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December 8, 2004
Energy costs are expected to skyrocket this winter. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the average cost of heating a home during these months will be 24 percent higher than it was last year. Yet Congress is under funding the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), even as initial sampling shows that as temperatures drop, fuel prices soar, and more Americans fall into poverty, requests for assistance could be at an all-time high.
- Energy costs hit poor families especially hard. According to a study by the National Energy Assistance Director's Association, families who utilize LIHEAP spend "three times as much of the income on energy costs as middle-income families." A quarter of the people who use the program skipped paying a medical bill or house payment at least once because of energy bills; one out of every five skipped meals for the same reason.
- Congress refuses to properly fund programs that help Americans heat their homes. Despite pleas from a bipartisan group of 17 governors, Congressional funding for LIHEAP was $164 million less than what is needed to cover the expected increase in home heating costs this year. When factoring in the price of fuel, the 2005 level of funding for LIHEAP is lower than it has been for the last five years.
- President Bush has not lifted a finger to help. In his first budget in 2002, President Bush actually tried to cut LIHEAP funding by $300 million, despite higher unemployment and a colder winter. Funding for LIHEAP and other energy assistance programs has barely matched inflation under Bush and helps only five million families today, versus seven million when the program started 22 years ago.
Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund. |
Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund. |
