Congressmen from New England are urging President Bush to release $120 million in emergency relief funding to help poor residents pay high heating bills.
Lawmakers say they’re concerned about steeply higher energy costs and economic woes facing many families.
They wrote a letter this week asking Bush to provide additional funding to states through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides aid for heating and cooling. They say $100 million of the contingency funds at Bush’s disposal will expire Sept. 30 unless the president acts.
A spokeswoman for Rep. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who led the letter-writing effort, said Thursday that there has been no response from the Bush administration.
Murphy says Connecticut has received nearly $59 million in federal heating aid this year.