WASHINGTON— Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., planned to announce details today of a bill that would keep home heating assistance at its current level of funding.
The announcement comes days after President Barack Obama unveiled his 2013 budget, which proposes reducing the current levels of funding for the Low Income House Assistance program.
Obama’s 2013 budget would allot $3 billion to the Low Income House Energy Assistance Program, a cut of $470 million from this year.
However, the Obama administration argues that it is still asking for more than its original request for this year. Legislators from cold weather states point out that this heating assistance budget will fall short of the $3.5 billion deficit negotiation reached between Democrats and Republicans.
Low Income House Energy Assistance Program is a federally funded program that helps heat the homes of thousands of low-income households.
