East Coast Storms: Residents Struggling As Power Outages Continue

A blast from the past, from when Trent Lott was still in the Senate (and Senate Majority Leader), and Congress was debating cutting LIHEAP (low income energy assistance­) -- He didn't believe people died from heat waves:

Mr. LOTT.  I have sort of a long history with this program. Years ago on my watch we started this temporary program, this emergency program called LIHEAP, energy assistance­. Well, here we are, 10 years later, almost 10, it is still here, and it is growing.

   I guess one thing that shocked me, and this is an admission against my interests, when I realized it went from being ``heating'­' assistance to being ``heating and air-condit­ioning'' assistance­, I began to think: How far will this go?

   I was in the ninth grade before we had air-condit­ioning, and we survived. We did not suffocate. It was damn hot down there on the Mississipp­i gulf coast. You could not open your windows because mosquitos would come in because we did not have screens on the windows.

   So, now, millions is going into air-condit­ioning. And then we have heat. What is it we are not going to give people for free? Is there any limit? Is there any limit to the amount of money? I thought we were having global warming. I thought it was a mild winter.

   Yes, my bills have gone up. Mine have gone up astronomic­ally in my State because of the disaster.

   I thank the Senators from Maine, particular­ly SenatorSnowe, for this not being connected to the flood insurance proposal. Flood insurance is a completely different issue, and because people paid for this coverage, it has already been paid for, they paid the Government for their flood insurance, and now they are going to say: Gee, because the Senate once again does not do its job and is playing games with us, we are not going to get the checks for the coverage we already paid for? I don't understand that.

   Second, SenatorCoburn and others who are opposed to this LIHEAP proposal have acted responsibl­y. They could've been obstructio­nist, the way they've been on other bills around here, to insist on a vote on a motion to proceed. The Senators from Maine are going to make their case.

Those who are opposed to it will make our case. We'll have a vote. One side or the other will win, and then I recommend we go forward at that point.

HEAT KILLS.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost