{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140413005625/http://shea-porter.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/shea-porter-calls-for-increased-liheap-funding", "Shea-Porter Calls for Increased LIHEAP Funding", "2013-12-11", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "NH", "Carol Shea-Porter", "S001170", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\nContact: Ben Wakana, 202-225-5456\n\u00a0\nWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 As Granite Staters face another cold winter, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) is calling on Congress to increase funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).\nIn a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations committees, Shea-Porter wrote, \u201cAs people across the country are trying to get through another cold winter while facing a sluggish economy and high home heating costs, I urge you to release additional funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). These funds are critical to the security and safety of citizens across the country, especially in my home state of New Hampshire.\u201d\nLIHEAP is the main federal program that helps low-income households, veterans, and seniors with their energy bills, providing them with vital and temporary assistance during cold winter months.\nIn October of this year, the Energy Information Administration projected that the cost of heating a home with gas this winter will be 13% higher than it was last year, while the cost to heat a home with propane will increase by 9%. These increased costs add strain to LIHEAP and the almost 9 million Americans who received support from the program in 2012.\n\u201cIn New Hampshire, LIHEAP funding is not a partisan issue,\u201d Shea-Porter said. \u201cHowever, I have been in Congress five years, and each year it\u2019s been a struggle to obtain enough funding to keep people warm. This just should not be so difficult.\u201d\nShea-Porter has been a strong advocate for LIHEAP funding.\u00a0 In April of this year, she sent a bipartisan letter requesting that funding for LIHEAP be authorized at a level of $5.1 billion in FY2014. In previous years, she has testified before the House Budget Committee and introduced legislation that would increase funding for LIHEAP.\nFull text of Shea-Porter\u2019s letter is below.\n\u00a0\n+++\nThe Honorable Barbara Mikulski and The Honorable Richard Shelby\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0  \n\tChair and Ranking Member\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0  \n\tCommittee on Appropriations\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0  \n\tUnited States Senate\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nThe Honorable Hal Rogers and The Honorable Nita Lowey  \n\tChair and Ranking Member\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0  \n\tCommittee on Appropriations\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0  \n\tUnited States House of Representatives\n\u00a0\nDear Chairwoman Mikulski, Ranking Member Shelby, Chairman Rogers, and Ranking Member Lowey,\nAs people across the country are trying to get through another cold winter while facing a sluggish economy and high home heating costs, I urge you to release additional funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). These funds are critical to the security and safety of citizens across the country, especially in my home state of New Hampshire.\nAs you know, on November 5, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services released $2.93 billion in funding for LIHEAP based on the amount approved in the current continuing resolution funding the government through January 15, 2014. This is far below the $3.6 billion included in the Senate Appropriations Committee FY 2014 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. I hope that when negotiating funding levels for the rest of FY 2014, you will work to provide additional funds to LIHEAP to support annualized funding at $3.6 billion. Even this level is still far below the $5.1 billion that was made available in FY 2010, while the cost to heat a home is likely to increase.\nIn New Hampshire, LIHEAP funding is not a partisan issue. Funding for this critical program is supported by both Democrats and Republicans because we all know how important it is to help Americans stay warm this winter.\nIn October of this year, the Energy Information Administration projected that the cost of heating a home with gas this winter will be 13% higher than it was last year, while the cost to heat a home with propane will increase by 9%. This puts added strain on LIHEAP and the almost 9 million Americans who received support from the program in 2012.\nGiven these rising costs and the ongoing troubles in the economy and job market, I hope that you will strongly consider increasing funding in LIHEAP. Our fellow citizens who are working to get by should not have to fear going home on a cold winter night to a house that they cannot keep warm for their family.\nI thank you for your consideration in this matter and look forward to continue to work with you on passing appropriations that supports LIHEAP and all of the other critical functions of government for FY 2014.\n\u00a0\nRespectfully submitted,\n\u00a0\nCarol Shea-Porter  \n\tMember of Congress\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140413005625/http://shea-porter.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/shea-porter-calls-for-increased-liheap-funding"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8455950301140547, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}