U.S. Senate candidate Pat Quinn, U.S. House candidate Danny Davis and a handful of South Austin residents stood outside a Peoples Gas customer service office in the frigid cold Sunday to protest cuts in federal energy assistance program for low-income households.
“The federal budget is chock full of corporate welfare, more than $200 billion worth,” said Quinn, former Illinois State Treasurer. “And they’re going after a small low-income energy assistance program for residents who can’t afford heat.”
They also called for the creation of a national version of the Illinois Citizens Utility Board to represent consumers in Washington.
Federal funding for energy assistance in Illinois was cut to $46 million this year from $74.4 million last year, according to state officials. There were more than 20,000 households in Chicago and suburban Cook County that were eligible for help with energy bills, but were denied assistance due to the cuts.
Additional funds were released by the Clinton administration last week, amounting to $5.2 million additional for Illinois. About $2.26 million of that will go to 5,000 local households found eligible but denied funding.
