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It’s a New Year and people are making resolutions to
turn over a new leaf and reexamine their lives. Some
people will strive to lose weight, others to spend
more time with friends and loved ones, and others to
just get by. I also have plans for 2006 - and that
is to continue to work for the people of Maine. As
your Senator, it is my job and responsibility to
understand the wants and needs of the 1.2 million
people in our great state and bring those concerns
to Washington, D.C.
This past year was a trying one for people
throughout Maine and the country. Our nation
experienced the single greatest natural disaster in
our history with hurricanes Katrina and Rita leaving
thousands homeless, without jobs and schools for
their children. We continue to be at war in Iraq in
an effort to create a stable, independent government
so our valiant troops can come home. Throughout
these often difficult times, our great citizens have
not only endured but thrived in the face of
tremendous adversity.
The people of Maine were an inspiration this past
year - taking their lead from no one but themselves
to help people near and far. Our Air National Guard,
the Mainiacs, traveled to the devastated Gulf region
to help with the recovery efforts. When I was on a
trip to the region in September, I had the chance to
meet them and see them in action. They approached
their mission with dignity and pride. Indeed, their
sense of duty and compassion is what we Mainers are
known for.
Not only did we work to help those in the Gulf, but
we also worked to help each other. The tragedy in
the Gulf impacted every state in the country another
way - through sky high energy prices. In Maine and
throughout other cold weather states, our heating
bills are twice what they were only years ago. That
means that for those with very little money to begin
with, they will spend vastly more to stay warm. Some
will even be forced to chose between heat and food
or medicine. This terrible situation is being met
head on by the people of our state who have set up a
volunteer heating assistance fund to help those in
greatest need. This is again a testament to the
people of our state.
Maine should not be in this situation. There is a
federal heating assistance program - the Low Income
Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) - that was
established to help our most vulnerable citizens pay
for their energy bills. Unfortunately, a federal
program is no good if we fail to fully fund it and
that is precisely what has happened to this program.
Despite increased use from all corners of the
country over the past decade, we have failed to
provide sufficient funding for a basic safety net
for our most unfortunate. This year has been
particularly hard because high energy costs mean
that there is less purchasing power for this program
than in previous years and less money for those who
need it most.
Throughout this past fall, I worked tirelessly to
ensure that the LIHEAP program got the funding it
deserves - $5.1 billion as authorized in the Energy
bill that passed the Congress this past summer.
Working with my colleagues Senator Susan Collins
(R-ME) and Norm Coleman (R-MN), I secured a
commitment from Senate leadership for a vote at the
end of January to supply an additional $2 billion in
emergency LIHEAP funding. It is unfortunate that the
Congress could not and would not provide sufficient
funding by the end of the year. I believe, however,
that we can reverse this disastrous action - or
inaction - by getting this funding passed and
through Congress.
There are many other issues that must be addressed
in this New Year, including skyrocketing health care
costs, the Medicare prescription drug benefit, and
the ongoing war in Iraq - among others. I pledge, as
Maine’s senior Senator, to strive to help the people
of Maine live more prosperous and more healthy lives
by working to represent their interests in
Washington , D.C . That is my New Year’s resolution
and it is one I will keep.
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