1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I urge you, as a constituent of yours, to reject the President’s renewed proposal to eliminate LIHEAP, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, in the upcoming budget process. This is now the sixth time this administration has proposed eliminating this program entirely, and Congress has rejected it every time, most recently preserving and even slightly increasing funding to roughly $4.05 billion for this fiscal year. Millions of households across the country, including in red and blue states alike, rely on LIHEAP to keep their homes safe during extreme heat and cold. Eliminating this program would put seniors, children, and families with no other options at real risk, while saving an amount that is a rounding error in the federal budget. The administration’s justification for these cuts does not hold up to scrutiny. It has relied on a 15-year-old fraud audit whose recommendations were already implemented years ago, and has blamed high energy costs on policies in certain states, even though more than half of LIHEAP funding goes to states that supported this president. Meanwhile, this same administration has found billions for other priorities, including a proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget. When a government claims it cannot find $4 billion to keep vulnerable families warm in winter and safe in summer, while finding far larger sums elsewhere, that is a choice about priorities, not a matter of necessity. Even members of the President’s own party have pushed back. Senator Susan Collins specifically cited her serious objections to cutting LIHEAP in this budget. I am asking you to fully fund LIHEAP for the coming fiscal year and to reject this elimination proposal once again. Families in our community are counting on you.