Vt.'s congressional delegation reacts to increased heating aid

As the weather turns colder and summer turns into fall, Vermont received Wednesday more than $2.4 million in additional federal aid for home heating relief for the coming winter months.

President Bush Wednesday ordered Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt to release the remaining reserve funds from the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program-approximately $120 million-as requested by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Middlesex) and supported by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Burlington) and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Hartland).

"Soaring home heating costs already are a clear and present threat facing thousands of Vermont households," Leahy said in a statement. "These funds were doing no good sitting in an agency's vault. Congress appropriated these funds for times like these."

Sanders and Welch stressed need for the LIHEAP funds, which are intended to help low income families deal with higher home energy costs, and advocated more federal monetary experience.

"This is a critical step, but we need to double heating assistance funding to avert what could be an extremely dangerous winter for low income Vermonters," Welch said in a statement. "At a time of unprecedented bail-outs on Wall Street, President Bush should drop his reckless veto threats and recognize more heating aid is required to help those most in need."

Sanders also added in the statement: "I am delighted that this $2.5 million has been released by the president, but clearly more needs to be done. Unless we at least double funding for home heating assistance, and provide another $20 million for Vermont, people will go cold this winter. Seniors will die. Children will get sick."

Sanders is currently sponsoring a bill for increasing LIHEAP funds, which is pending in the U.S. Senate.