[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 200 (Friday, December 15, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S18697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 LIHEAP

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I spoke, as did the Senator from Minnesota, 
on the issue of LIHEAP yesterday. I commend him for what he has said. 
This is an issue that is joined certainly in the northern tier States 
with Republicans and Democrats alike in the Senate.
  We should restore these LIHEAP funds. Frankly, I strongly urge our 
colleagues and leadership in the other body, if need be, to simply pass 
a LIHEAP appropriations so we can take it up, pass it here and send it 
down. We would not have this issue were all the appropriations bills 
now passed. We can pass that one, if need be.
  This is a matter of urgency. It is not an answer to say we will have 
the money in June of next year. It was 8 or 9 degrees below zero at my 
home in Vermont 2 days ago. It was way below zero last night. We had 
about a foot of snow in the last few days. The good news, of course, is 
nothing slows down with only a foot of snow in Vermont. The bad news is 
that the people who are without money are now faced with the question 
of whether they will eat or heat. Many of them are elderly. The 
majority of them are disabled.
  There is no question we should try to get this through. It will be 
colder next month. It always is in January. Last year, we had about a 
week and a half that did not go above zero. During that time, it hit 25 
to 35 degrees below zero, depending where in the State it was.
  If you are living in a residence that needs the help of LIHEAP or 
weatherization for heating, that cold goes through pretty quickly. This 
is not a case of being uncomfortable. This is a case where people die. 
People die in their own homes. They die in their own homes from the 
cold. They die in their own homes sometimes when efforts are made to 
heat. They die in their own homes when they have actually been pulling 
boards out of the floor or furniture to burn to keep warm, because they 
know exposure to that weather for just a matter of, sometimes, minutes 
could bring about hypothermia and death.
  Mr. President, I do not see other Members seeking the floor, so I 
will talk about another issue.

                          ____________________