Schock Joins Bipartisan Effort to Urge President to Release LIHEAP Funds
Washington, DC – January 12, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) joined 132 of his colleagues in writing to President Barack Obama this week, requesting he release emergency funds from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
“As gas and home heating prices continue to rise, consumers are questioning how they will afford to heat their home this winter,” said Schock. “Releasing this emergency funding will benefit many individuals across Illinois, who are feeling the squeeze of increasingly high energy prices. But our country needs Congress to develop and enact a comprehensive energy plan that involves tapping into our domestic energy reserves, increasing nuclear energy usage, encouraging refinery construction, research and development into new energy sources, using more renewable fuels and ensuring that we use energy efficiently.”
The most recent USDA food stamp data indicates that a record 37 million people – approximately one in eight Americans – received food stamps in September. Moreover, many states have experienced unemployment rates that have exceeded the national average for several months.
Releasing emergency LIHEAP funding – supplementing block grant funding already being spent in every state – will help thousands of families and seniors with their energy bills and, in doing so, create a noticeable economic multiplier. Less burdened by energy bills, these low-income families have more to spend on other essentials, and can avoid the choice between paying energy bills and putting food on their table.
