[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S14639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   PASS THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION NOW

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise in support of House Joint 
Resolution 108, the continuing resolution. I am pleased that Congress 
and the President, after long negotiations, were able to work out this 
agreement that would provide interim levels of funding for programs and 
activities of the Federal Government until November 13, 1995.
  I understand the President will sign this bill. Its expected 
enactment over the weekend will avert a massive shutdown of the Federal 
Government, and all of the many costly problems that would cause for 
people in my State and throughout the Nation who depend on the Federal 
Government for Social Security, Medicare, student loans, farm payments, 
and other benefits and services--and for Federal workers who might 
otherwise have been furloughed for an extended period starting as early 
as next week. I expect that the administration will exercise its 
spending authority to avoid furloughs that is provided for in this 
bill.
  I am also pleased that at my urging, working with White House Chief 
of Staff Leon Panetta, the Appropriations Committee removed the 
outrageously unfair and arbitrary provision in the bill which would 
have prohibited any Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) 
funding to be distributed to the States.
  Several days ago, I alerted Appropriations Committee Chairman 
Hatfield to my concerns about this matter in a letter, a copy of which 
I ask be printed in the Record following my statement.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, in the letter, I observed that LIHEAP 
is a highly targeted, cost-effective way to help 5.6 million very low-
income American families--or roughly 15 million individuals--to pay 
their energy bills. More than two-thirds of LIHEAP households have 
annual incomes less than $8000; more than one-half have incomes below 
$6000. Further, the average LIHEAP recipients spend 18.4 percent of 
their income on energy, compared with 6.7 percent for all households.
  I pointed out that Minnesota is the third coldest State, in terms of 
heating degree days, in the country, after Alaska and North Dakota. 
Especially in cold-weather states like Minnesota and Oregon, funding 
for LIHEAP is critical to families with children and vulnerable low-
income elderly persons, who without it could be forced to choose 
between food and heat.
  The LIHEAP program assists approximately 110,000 households in 
Minnesota, and provides an average energy assistance benefit of about 
$360 per heating season. In Minnesota, where the first snows have 
fallen in some parts of the State, that heating season is already 
underway, and many people are relying on this funding. While I believe 
that more should have been released, considering the unique nature of 
LIHEAP which historically releases the bulk of its funds to cold-
weather States immediately in October, I am pleased that at least some 
of these funds--about $140 million--will be made available immediately 
on Monday to help pay fuel bills, fix or replace furnaces on an 
emergency basis, and help with weatherization against the coming 
winter.
  While final funding levels for LIHEAP for this winter and next will 
likely have to be settled on the Senate floor, and in a conference 
committee, interim funding for the first part of this winter will be 
made available on October 1 to avoid large numbers of utility shut-offs 
and other heating emergencies that could have resulted in serious 
heating-related tragedies, including the deaths of people in cold-
weather areas whose furnaces fail and who are unable to get them 
repaired or replaced, or other serious problems for those who are 
unable to pay for the heating season's first fill of fuel without 
LIHEAP assistance, or who are otherwise placed at risk by this 
provision.
  Mr. President, this is a compromise bill. It does not provide for 
adequate funding levels for all Federal programs. But in general it 
applies its spending formulas in a way that is fair and responsible, 
and I urge its prompt enactment.


                               exhibit 1

                                               September 26, 1995.
     Hon. Mark Hatfield,
     Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I write to urge you to drop from the 
     continuing resolution that is being prepared for likely 
     Senate floor consideration later this week the provision that 
     would prohibit all federal Low-Income Energy Assistance 
     Program (LIHEAP) funds from being released until enactment of 
     the FY 1996 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill, which could be 
     delayed until late November.
       In my view, it is outrageous that recipients of energy 
     assistance are being singled out, among those who are helped 
     by all programs of the federal government, for this special 
     funding restriction. I hope you will agree that isolating for 
     especially harsh treatment families with children and 
     vulnerable low-income elderly persons, who without LIHEAP 
     assistance early this winter could be forced to choose 
     between food and heat, is deeply unfair, arbitrary, and even 
     mean-spirited, and should be opposed. It is especially 
     troubling that such an important decision could be made 
     without a single hearing, or even a public indication of the 
     Committee's intentions.
       As you know, the huge reductions in this winter's LIHEAP 
     funding (approximately 25 percent) contained in the recently-
     enacted rescissions bill was one of the main reasons I 
     insisted on an opportunity to try to amend the bill to 
     restore LIHEAP funding on the floor. Though that effort was 
     unsuccessful, I believe it showed the substantial support 
     which exits within the Senate for the program, and for its 
     goal of providing critical energy assistance to qualified 
     recipients.
       While final LIHEAP funding levels will likely have to be 
     debated on the Senate and House floors, and again in 
     conference, interim funding for early this winter must be 
     made available on October 1 to avoid large numbers of utility 
     shut-offs and other heating emergencies that could result in 
     serious tragedies. These could include the deaths of people 
     in cold-weather areas whose furnaces fail and who are unable 
     to get them repaired or replaced, or other serious problems 
     for those who are unable to pay for the heating season's 
     first fill of fuel without LIHEAP assistance, or who are 
     otherwise placed at risk by this provision.
       LIHEAP is a highly targeted, cost-effective way to help 5.6 
     million very low-income American families--or roughly 15 
     million individuals--to pay their energy bills. As the 
     Committee's report on the rescissions bill observed, more 
     than two-thirds of LIHEAP households have annual incomes less 
     than $8000; more than one-half have incomes below $6000. 
     Further, the average LIHEAP recipients spend 18.4 percent of 
     their income on energy, compared with 6.7 percent for all 
     households.
       Minnesota is the third coldest state, in terms of heating 
     degree days, in the country, after Alaska and North Dakota. 
     Especially in cold-weather states like Minnesota and Oregon, 
     funding for LIHEAP is critical to families with children and 
     vulnerable low-income elderly persons, who without it could 
     be forced to choose between food and heat. The LIHEAP program 
     assists approximately 110,000 households in Minnesota, and 
     provides an average energy assistance benefit of about $360 
     per heating season. In Minnesota, where the first snows have 
     fallen in some parts of the state, that heating season is 
     already underway, and many people are expecting this funding 
     to be released, as long scheduled, on October 1.
       This proposal to arbitrarily prohibit distribution of all 
     LIHEAP funds to the states on October 1 could wreak havoc in 
     the lives of eligible vulnerable elderly, families with 
     children, and other low-income people in my state and across 
     the nation. I urge you in the strongest terms to reject it.
       Thank you for your consideration.
           Sincerely,
                                             Paul David Wellstone,
                                                      U.S. Senate.
  Mr. DOLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be read three times, passed, and the motion to reconsider be 
laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 108) was deemed read the third 
time and passed.

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