Nes Commentary

My New Year's Resolution
U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME)

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.