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Monday, July 28, 2008
Senate Blocks LIHEAP Bill
 Responding to skyrocketing energy prices, Senate Republicans voted Saturday to deny increased assistance for heating and cooling bills for low-income families. Instead, they would prefer to deliver help 10 years from now, the soonest ANWR or outer continental shelf oil could possibly be delivered to the market.
The bill (S 3186), introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), would nearly double funding the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) by supplementing FY 2008's $2.6 billion appropriation with an additional $2.5 billion. The program, which provides low-income households with subsidies to lower their heating and cooling bills, has $100 million left until the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30).
Although a dozen Senate Republicans support the measure, most voted with GOP leaders who would rather spend the time trumpeting their call to expand offshore oil drilling before Congress takes six weeks off for vacation and the presidential nominating conventions.
"The American resources on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts contain 14 billion barrels at a minimum ... more than we have imported from the Persian Gulf in the last 15 years," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.
Democrats needed 60 votes to substitute the measure on heating and air-conditioning aid in place of the debate on an expansion of offshore drilling championed by President Bush and GOP presidential candidate John McCain. They got 50 votes Saturday, with 35 Republicans voting against changing the topic.
Posted by Craig Jennings
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