President proposes a cold-hearted cut;
Heating Assistance for the Poor

The Morning Call (Allentown, PA)
December 15, 2002

Last week, President Bush came to Philadelphia to push his plan to allow faith-based groups to obtain federal contracts to deliver social services. Earlier, his administration proposed cutting $300 million from the program that helps needy people to heat their homes. It's a program that benefits tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program was a paltry $1.7 billion in last year's budget. The White House wants $1.4 billion for it in this year's budget, and Congress has not yet decided whether to go along with this cold-hearted cut. It shouldn't.

"It is colder than last year," remarked Mark Wolfe, spokesman for the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, which represents state officials who adminiter the LIHEAP grants. "Unemployment is higher ... We are starting to hear from some states that their caseloads are going up."

One of those faces that make up statistics is 66-year-old retired school custodian Ronald Evans of Philadelphia who shivered beneath blankets last week in his unheated home. His electricity had been turned off because he was $225 in arrears on his electric bill. Then he applied for LIHEAP aid and the heat went back on.

In Pittsburgh, the Salvation Army (one of those faith-based organizations) reported that it has already spent 70 percent of its annual $10,000 budget for heating assistance. Similar stories are heard in other frostbelt states.

The National Energy Assistance Director's Association predicts that the requested cut could affect more than 500,000 people this winter. It's one thing to balance the budget, but it shouldn't be done on the backs of the poor -- especially when it's cold outside.