[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7] [House] [Page 10199] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]IN SUPPORT OF THE LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. LIHEAP, which provides crucial heating and cooling assistance to millions of hardworking, low-income families all across America, grows more important as fuel prices continue to skyrocket and we head toward another hot summer. Already families who qualify for LIHEAP spend, on average, a fifth of their income on energy costs. For hundreds of thousands of Americans, that figure will continue to rise until the electricity is simply shut off. Still, rather than rising to the occasion, this government has backed away from our responsibilities to those families. Even as prices soar and LIHEAP applicants have increased by 20 percent, the average LIHEAP grant has dropped by 20 percent, leaving millions without the full assistance to which they are entitled and millions more without any help at all. In my hometown of Louisville, I hear from people who work hard every day with less to show for it. Seniors, who deserve to live out their golden years comfortably, now face the choice of paying for medicine, food, or energy. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting full funding for this crucial program so that millions of LIHEAP-qualifying Americans won't be left alone to face potentially life-threatening heat this summer. ____________________