[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 27 (Friday, February 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FULL-YEAR CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2011

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                               speech of

                            HON. PAUL TONKO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 16, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense and the other 
     departments and agencies of the Government for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes:

  Mr. TONKO. Madam Chair. I move to strike the last word.
  The cuts contained in these sections to the Low Income Home Energy 
Assistance Program--LIHEAP--are dangerous, and I rise to oppose them. 
The Republican continuing resolution cuts $390.3 million in funding 
from LIHEAP's emergency contingency fund for the remaining seven months 
of this fiscal year. Those are cuts that are made on the backs of the 
low-income residents, like those I represent in the cold and snowy 
Capital Region of New York, who struggle to pay for the cost of home 
heating oil and natural gas.
  LIHEAP is a widely supported, essential program that delivers short-
term aid to our most vulnerable neighbors, including the elderly on 
fixed incomes. LIHEAP provides a vital safety net, allowing families 
and seniors to stay healthy and protected from cold winters and hot 
summers. It keeps those receiving help from having to make the heart-
breaking decision about whether to pay to keep the heat on, or to pay 
for food and prescription drugs.
  The numbers of households receiving assistance reached record levels 
this year, increasing from 7.7 million to 8.8 million. The rise in 
participation includes only households that are below the maximum 
income level--$33,525 for a family of four this year. The need for the 
continued support of LIHEAP is clear--the program was only able to help 
one in five eligible Americans. Four out of five families in need went 
without this assistance, and were left out in the cold.
  The Republican continuing resolution cuts $390.3 million in funding 
from LIHEAP's contingency fund.The LIHEAP contingency fund allocates 
emergency funding to states dealing with emergencies, like cold snaps, 
heat waves, or spikes in energy prices that force low-income Americans 
to cut off their heat. So far this year, the Administration has 
released $200 million in contingency funds, illustrating the need for 
full funding of the contingency fund. I do not think we can afford to 
let seven more months pass and risk another blizzard, or another heat 
wave, and leave our nation's vulnerable citizens out on their own.
  In FY 2010, my home state of New York received about $57.8 million in 
contingency funds, but in FY 2011 the state has only received about $26 
million. These CR cuts would mean that New York loses out on about half 
the contingency fund money it saw during the same period last year. 
Given the fact that this winter has been comparably cold and seen 
substantially more snow, my state and my constituents will be losing 
out tremendously with these cuts.
  The continued need for LIHEAP funding is clear to me as I travel 
around my district and talk to my constituents. Staff in my district 
offices help connect seniors and low-income families to LIHEAP for 
desperately needed assistance. Cutting funding for this program is, in 
my mind, unconscionable. We cannot leave behind our nation's most 
vulnerable in the dead of winter.
  The Majority is lauding the fact that this bill represents the 
largest spending cut in the history of our country. If they want to cut 
funding to satisfy their base, fine. But I will not stand for cutting 
LIHEAP funding. I will not support budget cuts balanced on the backs of 
seniors on fixed incomes, struggling to make it through this cold 
winter. Madam Chair, I urge defeat of this bill.

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