Senator Casey Announces $44.3 Million in Emergency LIHEAP Funding for PA Families

January 16, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC- Following a request made by U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) to the President in a December 10th letter, the White House Office of Management and Budget today agreed to release $450 million from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) contingency fund. Pennsylvania will receive approximately $44.3 million of this federal funding to help families heat their homes this winter.

“This winter, families across Pennsylvania are struggling to make ends meet and are being left in the cold,” said Casey. “This emergency assistance will help thousands of families heat their homes.”

On December 10, 2007 Senator Casey sent a letter to President Bush urging him to immediately release emergency funding and to fully-fund LIHEAP in his fiscal year 2009 budget.

Then on December 21, 2007, Senator Casey joined 36 of his Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Bush stating: “We request that your Administration release the $586 million in FY2008 LIHEAP contingency funds that were recently approved by Congress to help low-income seniors and families with their home energy expenses during a winter that has already seen a significant share of severe winter weather and cold conditions and promises only to get colder.”

LIHEAP is a federal block grant program that provides states with annual funding to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. This winter, more than 16,000 Pennsylvania households relied on LIHEAP to assist with the costs of heating their homes each year and to pay delinquent utilities bills so they can re-establish service.

In December, Congress passed a consolidated appropriations spending bill containing a total of $2.57 billion for LIHEAP.

Source: Senator Bob Casey

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