Senate votes against increased spending for heating aid program (AGAIN)

[MaineDem]

WASHINGTON --The Senate decided Wednesday the money wasn't there for a substantial spending boost for the federal home heating program, deflecting arguments that soaring energy prices could force the poor to choose between heat and food this winter.

Senators voted 54-43 in favor of a proposal to boost the fiscal 2006 budget for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program from $2.2 billion to $5.1 billion. That was six votes short of the 60-vote majority needed to approve new spending not coupled with equivalent spending cuts.

Northern senators who pushed for increased spending for the program, led by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, argued that the surge in fuel costs would be crippling to low-income families.

People could have to "choose between keeping the heat on, putting food on the table or buying much needed prescription drugs," Collins said. "No family should need to make such terrible choices."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2005/10/26/senate_votes_against_increased_spending_for_heating_aid_program/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Maine+news

AGAIN!!! This is the second time in a week they've done this. I'm furious!

Here's the Roll Call: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00270

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. "Nay!" voted the Senator,

as he adjusted his Senate office thermostat to 72.

[wryter2000]

2. Yeah

So he could be comfy while he slept off his three martini lunch.

[rodeodance]

5. most of the Senators do not have to worry about freezing to death!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. Slight correction:

All Senators.

[rodeodance]

3. my gawd!

[rodeodance]

4. bet we will not even hear about this on the news

[rodeodance]

6. nominate--so much for 'caring' Senators. spread this wide and far.

[rodeodance]

7. these are bread and butter issues that reporters should report about.

......Reed cited estimates that those who heat their homes with fuel oil will need $1,600 this winter, up $380, while the cost of using natural gas for heating could rise $500 to $1,400.

The Senate also defeated, 53-46, an alternative put forward by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., that would have increased spending on the program by about $1.3 billion while paying for the increase with an across-the-board cut of almost 1 percent in programs included in a $146 billion spending bill covering health, education and labor programs.

Gregg's amendment needed only a majority of 51 votes because it did not increase spending. Opponents argued that even a 1 percent cut could be harmful to programs already squeezed by tight budgets.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said education grants for low-income children would be cut by $118 million, affecting 37,000 kids, and Head Start would lose $63 million.

[HockeyMom]

9. They are PUNISHING the states (NORTH)

who didn't vote for Bush. Whether they have Republican Senators or not. Wait until the poor and the elderly start freezing to death and the Media plays that up.

[Davis_X_Machina]

11. It isn't like we're real Americans up here...

....we're strangely resistant to the charms of stock car racing. A lot of us aren't evangelical protestants. Our public schools work pretty well, and most of them teach evolution. We have unions, and strong environmental legislation, and most of us don't hate gays.

We're practically Canadian.

[converted_democrat]

35. Just wait and see.........

You think they came out of Katrina looking bad? Imagine how pissed people are going to be when they find out Grandma froze to death over the winter. I can't believe they are this stupid....It's almost like they are committing political suicide on purpose.

[Parche]

10. REPUBLICANS

So these F-In Republicans have no problem sending our tax dollars
to Iraq, but when it comes to our people here in the US, the
vote against funding.......UN F-IN believable

[area51]

31. Exactly.

The nazi party has no problem basically printing money hand over fist to fund their Vietnam II war, but somehow when it comes to saving lives of Americans whose tax $ put them in office, "...the money wasn't there." :mad:

[Robert Oak]

12. cut off the heat to their offices

claim it's a budget cut.

They are so out of touch with working America it's not even funny.

No problem in passing billions in tax breaks to big oil though.

[acmavm]

13. Nelson (D-NE), Nay - Not a surprise. And that bad haired bastard is

NOT a democrat.

[cosmicdot]

40. and, what's Carper (DE)'s problem?

the culture of life indeed

[skipos]

14. anyone have a list of how everyone voted?

[anitar1]

23. Check the rollcall post upstream. n/t

[Sal Minella]

15. We need a Windfall Profits Tax on Big Oil NOW to pay for LIHEAP

Conoco just reported 3.8 billion profits for one quarter, I believe.

[ninkasi]

37. I agree...

Doesn't the government give lots of tax dollars to oil companies already? Why don't we stop those handouts, and use the money to ease the burden of those who will be faced with freezing to death this winter? No family, no person, should have to choose between freezing to death or starving to death, not in what is the wealthiest country in the world.

The problem is that even though the country is wealthy, the wealth has become concentrated in fewer hands, and more and more sink into poverty. This does not bode well for a stable, prosperous country. The greedy rich should realize that there are more of us than them.

My own amazement is that anybody can still claim Bush, or Republicans, are a party with any morals whatsoever. They can talk Jesus all they want, but their actions are not what Christ advocated. They are the worst kind of bullying hypocrites, and I dread reading about what this coming winter will bring.

[Ian David]

16. The New Hampshire guy who won the lottery voted against it, too. n/t

[stepnw1f]

17. Republicans Commiting Economic Genocide

The party of the Evil. Why do we all pay taxes... are "We the People" now not allowd to help those in need? Not very Christian of you GOP.

[madmark]

18. Well at least Alaska is still going to get that bridge

[salin]

19. It is more important to pass on a 25 million inheritance with NO taxation

and to wage elective wars, than it to protect folks on fixed or minimum wage incomes from falling further into poverty. With the HUGE budget deficits created by bushco, only expect this to get worse, far worse.

[Voltaire99]

20. What's their solution?

Send the cold, poor and old to Iraq?

Assholes.

[WhiteTara]

21. I saw a video clip of Ted Stevens when asked

if he would give up the boondoggle bridege to nowhere for the help of other citizens. His "NO" was so forceful and filled with venom that I can't even begin to describe it. I jumped back from the tv I was so startled. The people are hard hearted.

[nomatrix]

25. Jon Stewart and the Daily Show

caught it too. Very funny when they replay it.

[WhiteTara]

39. except that it's not funny!

What a disgusting human being.

[Festivito]

22. Why dollars? Why not measure in frozen deaths? /nt

[anitar1]

24. Can someone answer this question for me?

Aren't the people elected to represent we, the people? I think they all forgot that immediately after they took office. And isn't all of that money coming from we, the people? This system is totally broken, but you all know that.Nothing surprises me anymore. I have become a total cynic.

[slay]

26. While CORPORATIONS get tax breaks and corporate welfare,

regular people like you and me have to worry whether or not we'll be able to afford not to freeze to death this winter. It's not just you - our representatives, especially the Republicans, care only about their large corporate donors I'm afraid. Until we can stop corporations from controlling the government, and achieve SERIOUS campaign finance reform, nothing is going to change. :(

[Festivito]

30. If votes are sold to the best PR firm, then the PR firm buyer wins...

Not the voter.

Any more questions?

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

27. But billions in the budget...

...for Halliburton to perform their make pretend reconstruction projects.

[Solly Mack]

28. Can we turn their heat off? We pay for it afterall.

I want the heat turned off at the Whitehouse and for all members of Congress.

[Judi Lynn]

29. Heating aid bill fails in Senate

Heating aid bill fails in Senate
Plan would have added $2.9b for poor households
By Jim Abrams, Associated Press | October 27, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A measure to substantially increase funding for the federal home heating program failed in the Senate yesterday, with opponents deflecting arguments that soaring energy prices could force the poor to choose between heat and food.

Senators voted, 54 to 43, in favor of a proposal to boost the fiscal 2006 budget for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program to $5.1 billion from $2.2 billion. But that was six votes short of the 60-vote majority needed to approve new spending not coupled with equivalent spending cuts.

Northern senators who pushed for increased spending for the program, led by Senators Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, and Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, argued that the surge in fuel costs will be crippling to low-income families.

People could have to ''choose between keeping the heat on, putting food on the table, or buying much needed prescription drugs," Collins said. ''No family should need to make such terrible choices."
(snip/...)

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/10/27/heating_aid_bill_fails_in_senate/

[w8liftinglady]

32. Trillions to corporations in Tax Cuts

http://www.ctj.org/corpfed04an.pdf

[RT_Fanatic]

33. Well, if the poor can't pay their heating bills...

...this could work:

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/modest.html

[converted_democrat]

34. Assholes...........n/t

[UrbScotty]

36. Surely if they were REALLY pro-life... (nt)

[melissinha]

38. Republican Yays:

Corzine-D not there!!!!!


Chafee
Coleman
Dewine
Lugar
Santorum
Smith
Specter
Sununu
Voinovich

No even with some scared northern senators, could they get this passed????? Shame on you Grassley, shows you really care about your constituents you can't say that other Republicans didn't vote for it you pig (farmer)!!!!!!!!!

Hope you allocated federal funds to firefighters for this one!!!!!!!

[zann725]

41. GIven current :"new" NON-Medicare drug plan, it won't be cutting up pills

to pay the heat...but living WITHOUT BOTH heat and medicine...and in many cases a place to live as well.

Compassionate conservatives, indeed!