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Washington, D.C.—Today, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter introduced legislation with 11 of her New England colleagues to provide emergency funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.  The legislation, the Home Energy Assistance through Emergency Relief Act, would increase funding for LIHEAP by $9 billion.  This comes one week after the Congresswoman sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer urging that LIHEAP funding be included in any future economic stimulus package. 

“With energy prices skyrocketing, low and moderate income families will be unable to heat their homes this winter,” said Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter. “Hardworking Americans should not have to choose between putting food on the table and staying warm.”

Properly funding LIHEAP is critical to protecting New Hampshire seniors and children.  Last year’s record high energy costs resulted in many New Hampshire families carrying larger balances with their home heating venders.  Without assistance from LIHEAP, many families will be unable to receive enough oil during the winter months to keep their homes properly heated.  With current forecasts for home heating fuel averaging $5.00 per gallon, it is estimated that the average New Hampshire family could have to pay $4000 this winter in heating bills.     

Congresswoman Shea-Porter has been a strong advocate for LIHEAP funding. Earlier this year, she testified before the House Budget Committee and called for a “robust funding level.” Last year, Congresswoman Shea-Porter urged President Bush to properly fund the program by releasing the remaining contingency funds, and she helped pass an omnibus bill that included $2.6 billion in funding.

Washington, DC - The Democratic National Committee today launched a new web video called "Absolute Disgrace" that shows John McCain calling the current mechanism for funding Social Security an "absolute disgrace" and demonstrates his preferred alternative: President Bush's failed plan to privatize Social Security. The DNC also announced that it will be shipping to state parties thousands of signs that say "Hands Off My Social Security" on one side and "My Social Security Is Not a Disgrace" on the other as part of a nationwide program of activities aimed at highlighting the threat that McCain's position on Social Security poses to the most successful government program in our nation's history. 

Today's announcement comes on the same day the coalition of organizations that derailed President Bush's effort to privatize Social Security in 2005 is hosting a conference call to discuss their own activities to highlight McCain's support for Bush's most unsuccessful domestic policy proposal of his Presidency.

On the campaign trail, Senator McCain claims he would balance the budget by reigning in entitlement spending, which would mean slashing Social Security benefits for millions of seniors, survivors and people with disabilities.  McCain has consistently been one of the strongest supporters of President Bush's risky scheme to privatize Social Security, even hitting the road with the President to sell the plan in 2005.  At a time when the stock market is spiraling downward and American families are facing more economic insecurities, McCain is touting a plan that would turn Social Security from a guarantee into a gamble and blow a whole in the national debt with $1 trillion in transition costs.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement:

"John McCain's promise to recycle President Bush's failed plan to privatize Social Security after the American people so clearly rejected it shows both his commitment to a third Bush term and how out of touch he is with the economic and retirement security challenges facing our country. Senator McCain admits that he doesn't understand the economy and is relies on out of touch advisors like Phil Gramm, so its no wonder he doesn't understand how dangerous his plan to slash Social Security benefits for millions of seniors, survivors and people with disabilities truly is. The last thing America needs is four more years of failed and flawed Bush policies."

To view the new video, "Absolute Disgust," click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5UcL2IC7eg

To download the DNC's new "Hands Off My Social Security" and  "My Social Security Is Not A Disgrace" signs, click here:
http://democrats.org/page/-/pdf/mccain_socialsec_sign_side2.pdf and http://democrats.org/page/-/pdf/mccain_socialsec_sign.pdf.

DNC Video
"Absolute Disgust"
Script

TEXT: John McCain's Social Security "Disgrace"

McCain: "We are paying present day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace, it's an absolute disgrace and it's got to be fixed." [Denver Townhall, 07/07/08]

TEXT: John McCain's Alternative?

BUSH: "And the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts." [State of the Union Address, 02/02/05]

MCCAIN: "We need personal savings accounts." [Fox News Debate, 10/27/07]

MCCAIN: "But I think that the principle of privatization of Social Security is one that I think is absolutely correct." [CNN,Evans, Novak, Hunt & Shields, 5/27/00]

MCCAIN: "And the beauty of private accounts is that it does give added return on investments of taxpayers of Social Security members' money." [ABC News Transcripts, March 20, 2005, This Week With George Stephanopoulos]

MCCAIN: "Private savings accounts work. They have been proven to work." [Fox News Network, Fox Special Report With Brit Hume, 3/21/05]

MCCAIN: "Without privatization, I don't see how you can possibly, over time, make sure that young Americans are able to receive Social Security benefits." [C-Span Road to the White House, 11/18/2004]

TEXT: The Wrong Choice On Social Security

As Senate rebuffs Bush veto, GOP Senator continues to stand by Medicare cuts

Today, as both the United States House and Senate voted by large bi-partisan margins to override George Bush’s veto of a bill preventing steep cuts to Medicare, Republican Senator John Sununu stood by the President and the insurance companies and voted to sustain the veto. The bill Bush vetoed and Sununu voted against will prevent steep cuts in Medicare and will improve mental health access for both veterans and seniors and strengthen Medicare programs for rural seniors. It is paid for by ending costly overpayments to private insurance companies and HMOs participating in Medicare. Without passage of the legislation, millions of seniors would have been unable to easily access care as many doctors were expected to stop seeing Medicare patients.

“If Sununu got his way and Bush’s veto stood, doctors, seniors, troops and their families all would have faced devastating effects,” DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. “Luckily other legislators stood up for New Hampshire’s seniors and service members today, but it’s a shame their own senator refused to fight on their behalf. Unfortunately for John Sununu, the insurance companies may have filled his campaign coffers with cash, but they won’t be able to fill the voting booths for him this fall.”

On July 1, reimbursement rates to physicians under Medicare and the military health program, TRICARE, were cut by 10.6% under a statutory formula widely regarded as outdated. Congress has passed legislation reversing scheduled cuts each year since 2003. The bill garnered overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, passing 355-59, and passed the Senate last week 69-30. Both chambers of Congress voted to override Bush’s veto today, the House by 383-41 and the Senate by 70-26.

Sununu Voted For The Third Time In As Many Weeks To Put Insurance Companies And HMOs Over Doctors And Seniors. For the third time in two weeks, Sen. Sununu todayvoted against preventing a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement rates todoctors. The bill is paid for by ending costly overpayments to private insurance companies and HMOs participating in Medicare, while improving bothmental health access for veterans and Medicare programs for ruralseniors. [Vote 160, 6/26/08; Vote169, 7/9/08;Vote 177, 7/15/08]

SununuVoted To Cut Medicaid Funding Or Against Increased Funding At Least 13Times. Sincecoming to Congress, Sununu has voted to cut or against increased funding forMedicare at least thirteen times. [Vote 92, 3/22/07;Vote 62, 3/16/06;Vote 363, 12/21/05;Vote 303, 11/3/05;Vote 287, 11/3/05;Vote 291, 11/3/05;Vote 7, 1/7/03;Vote 21, 1/23/03;Vote 89, 3/25/03;Vote 166, 6/5/97;Vote 241, 6/25/97;Vote 343, 7/30/97;Vote 345, 7/30/97]

SununuHas Received $649,874 From the Insurance Industry.

AmericanMedical Association Blasted Republicans Who Blocked Bill. 6/27/08]

WithoutA Fix, 60% Of Doctors Would Stop Seeing New Medicare Patients. 6/9/08