Markey vows to restore Republican LIHEAP cuts

Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) said Friday he intends to offer an amendment to a government spending bill set to be debated on the House floor next week that would restore proposed funding cuts to a program that offers low-income Americans help in paying their heating bills.

Markey said Republicans plan to cut the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) by $400 million in their bill, which would fund the government until the end of the fiscal year. The amendment, Markey said, would ensure that the program continues to be funded at $5.1 billion.

"I do not believe we should be trying to balance the budget on the backs of poor families," Markey told reporters Friday, noting that the Northeast braved a harsh winter this year.

Markey also criticized the Obama administration for its proposal, set to be included in President Obama's FY2012 budget request, to cut LIHEAP funding by $2.5 billion.