WASHINGTON - Democratic lawmakers on Thursday slammed the Bush administration's proposal to cut funds for a government program that helps poor people “weatherize” their homes, even though the White House's energy task force recommended increasing money for the program.
The administration wants to gut 32 percent of the money in the Energy Department's budget for weatherisation assistance grants, which help low-income families buy storm windows and insulation for their homes to make them more energy-efficient. The program's funding would fall to $164.2 million.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee, said slashing the program's funds did not make much sense "at a time when home energy bills are at historically high levels."
Bingaman, speaking at committee hearing on the Energy Department budget, pointed out President Bush pledged during this 2000 campaign to nearly double funding for the program and the White House energy task force headed by Vice President Dick Cheney called for more weatherisation funds.
The administration's request of $164.2 million for the weatherisation program is not only a cut, but is also short of the $600 million Congress authorized for the program in a sweeping energy bill that Bush signed into law last August.
Energy Secretary Sam Bodman defended what he described as a "painful" cut in the program's budget, saying the department had a limited amount of money and it was targeted to programs that have the most promising results.
"I personally made this decision (to reduce the weatherisation funds) as it came across my desk, and it was strictly knowing how much money I had to spend and where I had to put the funds," he said.
Bodman said the lower budget for the program would still pay for weatherizing 64,000 homes in the 2007 spending year. But that's down from 97,000 homes at current funding levels.
Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey said cutting the program would hurt the neediest Americans who require help to save on their high energy costs.
"The recipients of this (program) are the people who are on lowest levels of economic opportunity in our society," he said. "They are the elderly. They are poor families with children. They are the disabled. They are the least capable of meeting their energy needs and they will be coldest, if we don't have the type of robust weatherisation program that we should have."
Environmental and consumer groups have also come out against reducing the budget for the weatherisation program, which has proven to save energy at the same time Bush calls for the United States to reduce its foreign energy imports.
"The only way to ease the pain of record energy prices for consumers and businesses alike, and to address critical energy-related security and environmental issues, is to back up the rhetoric with the reality of adequate federal funding for key energy-efficiency programs," said Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy.
Sen. Pete Domenici, who chairs the Senate's energy committee, told reporters that lawmakers would likely restore some of weatherisation funds the administration wants to cut.
Story by Tom Doggett
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
