Brown seeks assistance program support

VW independent/submitted information

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) joined Senate colleagues in a bipartisan letter to President Trump, urging his support for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget request that will soon be sent to the Congress. 

Both programs help low-income households pay their energy bills during the cold winter and hot summer months. Last year, LIHEAP provided nearly $155 million in assistance to Ohio. 

“Extreme weather across the United States, including record-breaking cold temperatures in several states recently brought by the polar vortex, have once again highlighted the importance of affordable access to home energy as a matter of health and safety for more than six million low-income households, many of which include children, veterans, seniors, and individuals with disabilities,” the Senators wrote in their letter. “LIHEAP and WAP have long enjoyed bipartisan support, and we hope that you will prioritize funding for both programs in your fiscal year 2020 budget proposal.”

The letter was also signed by Senators Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Arkansas), and Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts).  

Brown has long been a supporter of LIHEAP and WAP programs, previously urging both the Trump and Obama administrations to release funds for the programs. Brown also pushed back against President Trump’s proposed cuts last year.