President Barack Obama’s proposal to cut nearly in half a $5.1 billion home heating aid program for the poor has drawn howls from some of his staunchest allies — Northeastern Democrats, The Associated Press reports.
The region is suffering through one of its harshest winters in years, and the lawmakers say the cuts could imperil more than 3 million families nationwide who need the money to stay warm. With no help from the White House, Northeast lawmakers expect an uphill fight as Congress takes a hard line on spending aimed at reducing the budget deficit.
Democrats from the Northeast are accustomed to having the program targeted for cuts, but the push usually comes from Sunbelt Republicans, not a Chicago Democrat.
On the flip side, Obama’s tough line on heating aid helps strengthen his message that he’s willing to cut spending to a key constituency.
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, one of the president’s most loyal supporters, complained in a recent letter to Obama that his proposed cuts to the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program could be devastating, especially to the poor and elderly with heating bills that can run into thousands of dollars.
“It’s an understatement to say we have tough budget decisions to make, but there’s a ton I’ll cut before we slash home heating help in a brutal winter when heating oil costs are sky high,” Kerry said Monday in a statement.
Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, where nearly 1.5 million households are expected to get aid this winter, was even more blunt.
“I don’t think we should balance the budget on the backs of seniors who cannot afford the rising costs of heating their home,” she said.
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a key Obama ally on environmental and energy issues, was similarly critical: “We should not be trying to balance the budget on the backs of our poorest families who are struggling to make ends meet.”
Obama, at a news conference Tuesday, defended the heating aid cuts in his budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 as painful but necessary to help reduce the budget deficit.
