[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 184 (Tuesday, December 4, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14728-S14729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 LIHEAP

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, winter is fast approaching. The Senator 
from Minnesota was out there with his snow blower and shovel already 
this weekend. We had from 6 to 10 inches of snow in some portions of 
the State, 6 inches in the metro area. It was minus 2 when I woke up 
one day in the Twin Cities, in St. Paul. I traveled around the State. I 
think it was around minus 8, minus 9, and that is not getting cold yet. 
In that weather, we actually button the top button but no more.
  The reality for many families is cold weather has a lot of people 
deeply concerned about their ability to keep the heat on. Most of us 
look forward to the coming of the holiday season as a time we get 
together with loved ones. For many Americans, this holiday season comes 
at a time when the cost of energy is skyrocketing. It is raising the 
level of anxiety as to whether they are going to be able to pay these 
ever-rising heating costs.
  I will never forget a hearing I held for the Permanent Subcommittee 
on Investigations. I actually did a hearing on the issue of energy 
costs in my home State last year. I got a chance to listen firsthand to 
folks who, last year, were impacted by rising energy costs. They bear 
down on young and old alike.
  I had the opportunity to meet Deidre Jackson, a single mother, 
working professional, and college student who saw her heating bill go 
through the roof. Meanwhile, Lucille Olson told a story familiar to 
many seniors of the struggle balancing the high cost of health care, 
prescription drugs, with heating bills that represented 30 percent of 
her monthly income. Unfortunately, for many seniors, this is not a 
balancing act that is easily maintained. Stories abound of grandmothers 
and grandfathers having to choose between food, medicine, clothing, and 
heat. This should not happen in America in the 21st century.
  It is for stories such as these that we have the Low Income Home 
Energy Assistance Program--LIHEAP--to provide heating and cooling 
assistance for folks who are struggling to get by. To many Americans, 
LIHEAP is a real lifeline. More than 70 percent of families receiving 
LIHEAP assistance have

[[Page S14729]]

incomes of less than 100 percent of the Federal poverty level. That is 
about $21,500 for a family of four. These are truly families who cannot 
afford to see their heating bills double. In fact, the majority of 
households have at least one member who is elderly, disabled, or a 
child under 5 years of age. These are the most vulnerable.
  Unfortunately, current Federal funding levels are only sufficient to 
meet the needs of about 16 percent of the eligible households. Many 
States are trying to meet the needs of more households by providing 
smaller benefits to each household. Meanwhile, rising energy prices are 
rapidly reducing the purchasing power of program grants. This is a bad 
combination. In other words, folks in need are receiving less 
assistance while the cost of heating increases. Again, this is simply 
an untenable situation.
  Consider that home heating prices are projected to reach almost 
$1,000 a year for a typical family, representing an increase of almost 
80 percent from the average cost during the winter of 2001-2002. It is 
in just 5 years that we have seen this incredible 80-percent increase 
in cost. In fact, data show we are looking at heating costs rising 15.2 
percent this year and record levels for heating oil, propane, and 
electricity. Experts predict that Minnesotans who use heating oil will 
probably see an increase in their bill of 47 percent higher than last 
year's level. Meanwhile, the cost of natural gas, which most 
Minnesotans rely on for their heating needs, is up 38 percent from the 
average cost during the winters of 2000 to 2005.
  The heating oil crisis we are facing this year is certainly partially 
due to America's need to import more and more oil. I have always said 
there is a national security need to end our dependence on foreign oil. 
There is also a very focused need in terms of the impact it has on 
those who simply cannot afford to pay their heating bills. We need to 
end their dependence on foreign oil. At the same time, we have to make 
sure to take care of those families in need today.
  We have the tools to produce clean and renewable energy here at home, 
and our heating crisis is only one of the many reasons we need to 
finish work on the bold energy package the Senate passed this summer 
and the strong farm bill we have before us now. Those are two important 
pieces of legislation. I hope we can overcome this partisan divide in 
Washington that kind of tears us apart and precludes us from getting 
things done.
  I have sat with the Presiding Officer. We talked about renewables and 
energy and seeing if we can find common ground. We need it in Maryland, 
we need it in Minnesota, we need it in America. Unfortunately, as much 
as we would like to transform our energy production before this winter 
begins, we don't have that option. But we can make sure Americans 
having a tough time getting by have the assistance they need to make it 
through a cold season. For many, it really is a matter of survival. The 
large percentage of increases in heating costs don't really hit home 
until you look at a utility bill. A lot of folks will see hundreds of 
additional dollars on their heating bills this winter. That is a huge 
expense for a family below the poverty level or for the elderly on 
fixed incomes.

  I drive by a bus stop on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, about four blocks 
from my house. There is a bus that stops there that takes you to 
downtown St. Paul. On a cold winter day, I look as I drive by. There 
may be a senior, a working mom--and it is cold. I look at the cost of 
energy and realize we have an obligation to try to do the right thing. 
That is what LIHEAP is about.
  In life, sometimes the unexpected happens. No matter how much we try, 
sometimes we just need a helping hand to get back on our feet.
  During my hearings back home, I heard a story from a courageous woman 
from St. Paul, Lori Cooper, who, as a working professional, wife, and 
mother of a 21-month child, had to figure out how to make ends meet 
when her husband's health prevented him from working. With heating 
costs rising, LIHEAP was critical in helping her family make it through 
the winter.
  Tragically, it is getting harder for States to help families like 
this one get through winters like this because the appropriation levels 
have not risen with the inflation since the 1980s. The Labor-HHS-
Education bill that the Senate has produced includes a welcome 
increase, but it is still below the real amount provided 20 years ago. 
If you look at where we were 20 years ago and factor in inflation, we 
are below that today. This would be much less problematic if we were 
not dealing with skyrocketing heating costs, which is why this winter, 
as in the winter of 2005-2006, families need emergency LIHEAP 
assistance.
  In 2006, I came to the floor with Senators Collins and Snowe to make 
the case to this body that no one should have to make the choice 
between basic necessities and heat. Rising to that challenge, we 
delivered an increase of $1 billion additional LIHEAP funding in 2006. 
Today, I proudly stand with my colleague from Vermont who, along with 
17 Members, introduced the Keep Americans Warm Act to meet the heating 
crisis we will face this winter. This bill provides $1 billion in 
emergency LIHEAP assistance in addition to the funding currently 
included in the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill.
  I urge my colleagues to join the 19 of us who are standing behind 
this bill, who are committed to meeting this urgent need. It took a lot 
of work to get emergency LIHEAP assistance passed in 2006. We worked 
very hard. It was difficult. I know it will take a lot of effort this 
time as well, but I am certain this Senate can come together to aid 
those who are struggling to provide the bare necessity of heat. I have 
faith in the potential of this body to act for the greater good, and I 
look forward to working together to pass this important piece of 
legislation.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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