I Contemplate Human Limitations and Human Potential
riversedge (53,992 posts) from democratic underground
Trump Reportedly Trying to Siphon $37 Million From Heating Assistance for the Poor to Fund Coronavir
Source: common dreams
Trump Reportedly Trying to Siphon $37 Million From Heating Assistance for the Poor to Fund Coronavirus Response
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
"Because if we have to prevent the spread of an infectious disease, we might as well take the opportunity to make some poor families freeze."
Critics are denouncing it as an unconscionable attack on the nation's poor after reporting revealed President Donald Trump has floated plans to shift $37 million away from a federal program that provides heating assistance for low-income families to help fund the White House's response to the growing coronavirus threat.
The Washington Post's Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman reported Tuesday that the White House informed congressional Democrats that it wants to transfer "$37 million to emergency funding for the coronavirus response from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which funds heating for poor families."
House Democrats, according to the Post, view the LIHEAP cut as a non-starter that could further delay the federal government's response to the coronavirus outbreak. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday that the virus could spread rapidly across the U.S. and urged Americans to prepare for "significant disruption in their daily lives."
"After dithering for weeks as the coronavirus spread around the world, the Trump administration has now decided to pay for its belated response by cutting funding for heating assistance for low-income families," Evan Hollander, a spokesman for House Appropriations Committee Democrats, told the Post.
"House Democrats won't allow the president to shut off families' heat in the middle of winter," added Hollander. "We will craft an emergency supplemental that treats this pandemic seriously and provides robust funding without stealing from other important priorities."...........................
Read more: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/26/trump-reportedly-trying-siphon-37-million-heating-assistance-poor-fund-coronavirus
Trump Reportedly Trying to Siphon $37 Million From Heating Assistance for the Poor to Fund Coronavir
Source: common dreams
Trump Reportedly Trying to Siphon $37 Million From Heating Assistance for the Poor to Fund Coronavirus Response
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
"Because if we have to prevent the spread of an infectious disease, we might as well take the opportunity to make some poor families freeze."
Critics are denouncing it as an unconscionable attack on the nation's poor after reporting revealed President Donald Trump has floated plans to shift $37 million away from a federal program that provides heating assistance for low-income families to help fund the White House's response to the growing coronavirus threat.
The Washington Post's Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman reported Tuesday that the White House informed congressional Democrats that it wants to transfer "$37 million to emergency funding for the coronavirus response from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which funds heating for poor families."
House Democrats, according to the Post, view the LIHEAP cut as a non-starter that could further delay the federal government's response to the coronavirus outbreak. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday that the virus could spread rapidly across the U.S. and urged Americans to prepare for "significant disruption in their daily lives."
"After dithering for weeks as the coronavirus spread around the world, the Trump administration has now decided to pay for its belated response by cutting funding for heating assistance for low-income families," Evan Hollander, a spokesman for House Appropriations Committee Democrats, told the Post.
"House Democrats won't allow the president to shut off families' heat in the middle of winter," added Hollander. "We will craft an emergency supplemental that treats this pandemic seriously and provides robust funding without stealing from other important priorities."...........................
Read more: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/26/trump-reportedly-trying-siphon-37-million-heating-assistance-poor-fund-coronavirus
