Senate passes health funds that Bush opposes & he opposes HEAT asst. for the poor!

[Breeze54]

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN2332811920071024">Senate passes health funds that Bush opposes

Tue Oct 23, 2007 8:52pm EDT

By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -

The Senate on Tuesday ignored a veto threat and easily passed legislation that would spend more than President George W. Bush wants this year for social programs including health care, education and job training.

By a veto-proof margin of 75-19, the Senate passed the bill that would cost $606 billion in the fiscal year that started Oct 1. Of that total, $152 billion funds programs that Congress tinkers with each year.

The rest of the money largely pays for federal retirement and health-care programs for the poor
and elderly that the government is obligated to pay, unless lawmakers take on the difficult and
unpopular task of reforming them.

Last week, the White House complained the bill topped Bush's February funding request by about $9 billion.

"I really can't believe the president wants us to cut funding for cancer research; cut children
from the rolls of Head Start (preschool program for children from low-income families)," said
Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, who steered the bill through the Senate.

Noting Bush's proposed reductions in home heating assistance for the poor, Harkin added,
"All I can assume is that the president is getting some very bad advice."

Sick and cold, we're going to have a lot of families dying this winter.
:grr:

Proposed cuts in energy help could have chilling effect

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=62214

By Burt Constable | Daily Herald Columnist
Published: 10/22/2007 11:11 PM

President Bush's veto of that SCHIP children's health insurance bill has critics complaining
that poor kids are going to be left in the cold.

That charge takes on a literal interpretation now that the Bush Administration, in the wake of rising energy costs, apparently wants to cut funding to a program that helps poor families pay heating bills during emergencies.

Even in tony DuPage County, an estimated 9,500 households will need help paying their heating bills this winter. They and others throughout the suburbs could be affected in 2008.

"DuPage County has a lot of working poor and fixed-income seniors," says Brian Kuglich, the county's community services manager, who oversees the heating assistance funds through DuPage County. "Seniors will sit in 55-degree homes and pay their utilities bills and won't buy medicine or food."

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, commonly called LIHEAP, helps pay utility bills for the elderly, people with disabilities, and other households run by people who meet poverty guidelines.

The Senate wants to keep LIHEAP's budget at $2.16 billion. The House voted to raise the program's budget to $2.66 billion. But the White House wants to cut it to $1.78 billion, according to a story by Reuters.b

To put that another way, President Bush wants to spend about 3½ days' worth of war funding to heat our nation's poor, while the House wants LIHEAP to have the equivalent of about five days' worth of war funding.

More...

[Breeze54]

1. Thanks anonymous voter!

:hi:

I HATE * !!!!!!!!!!!!!