Welch offered amendment to Republicans’ budget resolution that would protect Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program from being zeroed out 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, took to the Senate floor Monday evening to emphasize how President Trump’s threat to cut 100% of federal funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) will gut a vital safety net program millions of Americans rely on. In his remarks, Senator Welch underscored that President Trump’s budget breaks his promise to lower costs and deliver for working families in rural America. 

LIHEAP helps low-income households and seniors on fixed incomes pay their energy bills. The program also helps reduce energy costs through improved energy efficiency initiatives.  Nationwide, an estimated 6 million households—including 26,000 Vermonters—received assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP over the last year. 

“People in all our states understand how their neighbors—and in many cases, they themselves—need this. This is not a luxury. It can be a matter of life and death for hundreds of thousands of Americans, from Montpelier to Anchorage, Alaska,” said Senator Welch. “By attempting to zero-out LIHEAP funding, the Trump Administration has said it loud and clear what’s plain before our eyes: They’re willing to throw Americans out in the cold or in the heat, and are quite content with a $30 million an hour windfall for the oil companies. My hope is that we in Congress, whatever our differences are, can work together to save and preserve the LIHEAP program, which is a lifeline for so many people you represent and I represent.” 

Watch the Senator’s full remarks below: 

Read key excerpts from Senator Welch’s remarks below: 

“All of us are here and believing that we are fighting for the families that we represent in our states, and I’m fighting for Vermont families. And last week, Senator Reed and I filed an amendment to the Republican budget resolution that would protect LIHEAP from this zeroing out in the Trump budget. The amendment was not adopted, but I will keep fighting, and I hope many of my colleagues will join me to protect LIHEAP so that there can be some reassurance to the people who are going to be hammered and threatened by the zeroing out of this program.” 

••• 

“This program has been reauthorized many times since its inception, and I’m so pleased that it’s always been bipartisan. Because the folks we represent—whether it’s in cold or warm weather states—know that people need the security that they’re not going to freeze to death or they’re going to die of heat stroke. And that happens—that’s real. And the Americans who rely on LIHEAP to heat their homes in the winter and stay cool in the summer are very scared. They need help, and their neighbors and friends need help and assurance that this program will continue,” said Senator Welch. 

“I urge my colleagues to join those of us who want to make certain this fuel assistance is available to families—regardless of who they voted for, regardless of policy orientation, and regardless of politics. This is not a red-state or blue-state issue. Americans everywhere are paying for the reckless economic policies in this illegal war, and this war is imposing substantial and daily and punitive costs on struggling Americans, struggling farmers, and struggling businesses. But all of us are in need of maintaining this program, and we can if we come together to do it.” 

••• 

Senator Welch has been a staunch defender of LIHEAP and has led efforts to ensure the program is adequately funded. Last week, Senator Welch co-led an amendment to Republicans’ budget resolution that would protect LHIEAP from being zeroed out. Senate Republicans ultimately blocked the measure. Additionally, Senator Welch repeatedly urged the Trump Administration to immediately disburse federal funding for LIHEAP during a funding freeze last fall, which was ultimately successful. The Senator also partnered with bipartisan colleagues and the Vermont Congressional Delegation in pushing back on the President’s proposal to eliminate LIHEAP funding entirely. 

###