[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15865]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 LIHEAP

  (Mr. SARBANES asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, in the wake of skyrocketing energy 
prices, I rise today to urge this Congress to fully fund the Low Income 
Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, as part of the 
economic stimulus legislation that's being considered.
  Americans are feeling the pinch. Sixty percent of families are 
cutting spending as they struggle to pay for rising electric bills and 
gas prices. Let me speak directly about the situation of one Maryland 
family.
  Mr. Delatore works part time as a counselor and gets partial 
disability because of complications from cerebral palsy. He's had a 
tough time making ends meet, especially in the last year. Mr. Delatore 
is a LIHEAP recipient. He has expressed severe anxiety that he can 
barely afford to buy what he needs. Without energy assistance, he will 
be pushed over the edge.
  Madam Speaker, many families are living close to the economic edge, 
and they rely on this LIHEAP support, this critical support, to make 
ends meet. We have to fully fund this program.

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