SENATORS GREGG AND SUNUNU JOIN COLLEAGUES IN CALLING FOR RELEASE OF $300 MILLION IN FEDERAL HEATING ASSISTANCE

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senators Judd Gregg and John E. Sununu (R-NH) today joined 44 of their Senate colleagues in calling on President Bush to release the $300 million in emergency funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program that was included in the Fiscal Year 2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The Act was passed by Congress in November and signed into law by President Bush earlier this month.

In the letter to President Bush, the Senators stated, “Americans are facing record high prices for oil, natural gas and propane this winter. These increases come on top of soaring energy prices over the past several years. Rising energy prices disproportionately burden low-income Americans who are also struggling to pay for higher food, housing and health care costs.”

Senator Gregg stated, “The cold snap that gripped New Hampshire earlier this week is a stark reminder that the LIHEAP program is critical to many families in our state. The release of these funds can go a long way to helping New Hampshire residents defer the high cost of heating their homes well into the new year.” Senator Gregg continues to be a strong proponent for adequate LIHEAP funding through his position as Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.

In calling on the President to release the $300 million in emergency funding, Sununu said, “the weather in the Northeast can be severe, and we need to ensure that individuals and families in need throughout New Hampshire and across the nation have access to these funds when they are needed most.” Since he was first elected to Congress in 1996, Senator Sununu has supported LIHEAP, which has provided much needed energy assistance to low income families and the elderly throughout New Hampshire during winter’s coldest months.

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