Senate 'rescues' Housing but Blocks Bill to Help Poor Pay Energy Costs

[flashl]

Senate Blocks Bill to Help Poor Pay Energy Costs

Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare Saturday session, the U.S. Senate voted against moving forward with legislation that would boost funding for a federal program that helps low- income families pay their cooling and heating bills.

The legislation would nearly double money for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, commonly known as LIHEAP, to $5.1 billion.

"At a time when the cost of home heating fuels and electricity are soaring, and when the economy is in a decline, millions of Americans are finding it harder and harder to stay warm in the winter or cool in the summer," said independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who sponsored the legislation.

Low-income families spend on average about 15 percent of their income on home energy bills, compared with 3.4 percent for all other households.

[fasttense]

1. Tax payer funded bailouts for bankers who swindled millions of homeowners,

but not one red cent for the weakest among us.

A society is not judged by how they treated their kings, but how they treated the weakest among them.

[nightrain]

2. what pisses me off about this issue is that it certainly is not just

low-income people who need help with energy costs. And to hell with subsidizing the oil and gas companies via LIHEAP!!!

What we need is to get oil and gas prices DOWN to a reasonable level--like less than $1/gallon again so that all of us can afford to heat and eat, and buy necessities this winter! Damn oil and gas company CEO robbers!

[livingon]

3. they will have to increase the Low income assistance before winter unless

they want people freezing.

[bobbolink]

4. Do we have any proof that "they" DON"T want people freezing?

:shrug:

[snappyturtle]

6. I think your point is well taken. "They" want a permanent under

class. If a few freeze, starve etc. there's always more of "them". :sarcasm: It's modern slavery.

[bobbolink]

5. Yet, most DUers think it's just fine to tax poor folk to pay for grocery bags, add tax to gas "to

conserve", etc.

You see, WE are part of the equation....