Hours after a request by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and two other Senators, the federal government agreed to assist millions of low-income people dealing with bitterly cold temperatures.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will release the remaining federal dollars in what is called the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP.
Sens. Brown, Jack Reed (D-RI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) urged Sec. Sebelius to release the money, writing that “access to affordable home energy is a matter of health and safety. We ask that you expedite the release of all remaining LIHEAP funds to the states at this time of critical need.’’
In a statement, Sen. Brown said that “with temperatures falling to around zero degrees and rising propane prices, it’s essential that working families and Ohio senior citizens have the resources they need to heat their homes.”
As Ohio Goes, So Goes the Nation 