Sens.
Jack Reed (D-RI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are circulating a letter to
colleagues requesting at least $2.5 billion in emergency funding for LIHEAP in
the expected Continuing Resolution, which will fund the federal government at FY 08 levels,
pending completion of unfinished individual FY 09 appropriations bills. Due to several requests to extend the
deadline, the letter will go out on September 11.
This
letter to appropriators follows one sent on June 27 to the President by 45
Senators, asking for the release of $120 million in LIHEAP contingency
funds. A follow-up letter was sent by
Reed and Collins on August 15. The fund
will be fully depleted if more money is not released before September 30. The group has not yet received a response
from the White House.
Cosigners
of the current letter so far include: Reed, Collins, Max Baucus (D-MT), Evan Bayh
(D-ID), Joe Biden (D-DE), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Kit Bond (D-MT), Sherrod Brown
(D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Robert Casey (D-PA), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Norm
Coleman (R-MN), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Edward Kennedy (D-MA),
John Kerry (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Herbert Kohl (D-WI), Frank Lautenberg
(D-NJ), Pat Leahy (D-VT), Carl Levin (D-MI), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Richard Lugar
(R-IN), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK),
Patty Murray (D-WA), Barack Obama (D-IL), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Ken Salazar
(D-CO), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Gordon Smith (R-OR),Olympia
Snowe (R-ME), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), John Sununu (R-NH),
John Tester (D-MT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).