Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) today was joined by several of his colleagues in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) to bring a measure before the Senate by February to fund the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) at $5.1 billion, a level approved by the U.S. Senate six times. LIHEAP is a federal block grant program that provides states with annual funding to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. In addition to helping to pay energy bills for low-income families and the elderly, LIHEAP helps to fund energy crisis intervention programs, low-cost residential weatherization and other energy-related home repairs.Reed stated, Record high heating prices could wipe out many families across the country this winter. Many states are already overwhelmed with an increased number of LIHEAP applications this winter due to record high heating oil and natural gas prices. It is essential that we fund LIHEAP at $5.1 billion.Reed has consistently asked Congress and the President to provide $5.1 billion in funding for LIHEAP. Unfortunately, while receiving a majority of Senate support, Reeds efforts were defeated on a budget technicality. The Republican Congress last month approved only $2.183 billion. [http://reed.senate.gov/news/energy/funding-10-19-05.cfm]Text of the letter follows:Dear Majority Leader Frist:High energy prices are threatening the health and economic well-being of low-income households across the United States. No family in our nation should be forced to choose between heating their home and putting food on the table for their children. No senior citizen should have to decide between buying life saving prescriptions or paying utility bills. Unfortunately, these stark choices are a reality for too many Americans across the nation. We strongly urge you to take immediate action to help low-income Americans by bringing a measure to the floor that provides an additional $2.92 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), as supported by the majority of the Senate.Since October 5, 2005, the Senate has voted six times to increase LIHEAP funding to $5.1 billion. Bipartisan amendments offered to the Department of Defense Appropriations bill, the Transportation, Treasury and HUD Appropriations bill, the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill, and the Tax Reconciliation bill received a majority of the Senates support. Unfortunately, these amendments were not given the opportunity for a straight up-or-down vote. In December, 63 Senators supported a successful motion to instruct, which directed the Budget Reconciliation Conference Comittee to provide $2.92 billion in additional funding for LIHEAP in FY 2006. Yet, the conference report for the Budget Reconciliation bill includes only $1 billion, with this spending designated for FY 2007. Procedural maneuvers are preventing vital assistance from reaching Americans. These families and seniors deserve help from the federal government.As you know, the Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Conference report originally provided an additional $2 billion for LIHEAP. The LIHEAP funding provided by the DoD conferees was designated as emergency funding. The emergency designation funding is warranted given the high cost of energy this winter, and the lack of growth in workers wages. Unfortunately, other more controversial matters included in the conference report prevented the retention of the LIHEAP money in final action on that bill. The Energy Information Agency forecasts that households heating with natural gas will experience an average increase of 35 percent over last winter. Households heating with oil will see an increase of 23 percent, and households using propane can expect an increase of 17 percent. In addition, wages are not keeping pace with inflation. The Real Earnings report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the average hourly earnings of production and non-supervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls were lower in December 2005 than they were a year ago, after accounting for inflation. Working families are continuing to lose ground, meaning more families also need LIHEAP assistance this year. Paychecks are being stretched thinner as families face higher prices for home heating, health care, and education. We respectfully request that you bring a measure to the Senate floor at the end of this month, or at the latest, early February, that funds LIHEAP at the $5.1 billion level supported by the Senate. We also urge that these resources be allocated in such a way that they will benefit all states and ensure they receive this necessary assistance promptly. American families and seniors have been waiting too long for relief from high energy costs. Thank you for your consideration for this essential request.