It seems like the President might need a bit of a reminder that despite what Al Gore says, global warming alone isn't going to keep us all warm.

Bush announced his budget for 2009 earlier this month, and in it he proposed cutting several programs that are important to Northwest Pennsylvania. Most importantly, he wants to slash the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program by 22 percent. And at a time when the cost of heating our homes is skyrocketing.

Just today the Department of Health and Human Services provided an additional $6.129 million to Pennsylvania to assist low-income families pay their heating bills. According to Senator Arlen Specter's office, Pennsylvania’s share of the funding represents over one-tenth of the $40 million in emergency contingency funds being released by HHS to 11 states which rely on fuel oil for at least 20% of their heating.

How can the President sensibly propose cutting the LIHEAP program when we are in the middle of dishing out emergency funds above what was already allocated?

Cash payments in LIHEAP funds to Erie totaled more than $2 million this past year, with an extra $350 thousand in crisis payments.

Here's the breakdown for Erie in the 07-08 LIHEAP season as of February 9th:

LIHEAP cash applications received: 11,807
Cash payments: $2,238,767
Average cash payment: $254.23

LIHEAP crisis applications received: 1,182
Crisis payments: $349,900
Average crisis payment: $296.00

Total cash payments for PA: $66,692,101
Total crisis payments for PA: $25,148,962

I talked to our local Congressmen about the cuts. Here's what John Peterson had to say, "It's just wrongheaded to cut LIHEAP, especially when we don't have an adequate energy policy that is going to moderate energy prices. This is something Congress could fix."

The president also wants to end the Community Services Block Grant program. This initiative has provided millions to Erie for housing, education, and job services to low-income people.

Congressman Phil English told me, "I find it particularly appalling that the administration is cutting a program that empowers local organizations to provide services to the poor and do it in a way that's very entrepreneurial."

(Let me remind you that Bush has proposed ending the CSBG program in the past, and Congress has never allowed it.)

While the President cut several funds important to our area in his budget, he did allocate more money than expected for the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The SCHIP program has been a hotly contested issue on Capitol Hill for the past several months, and Senator Bob Casey has been a big supporter of putting more money into SCHIP. He says the President's efforts just aren't enough.

"The budget by a government, especially the federal government, is a mirror into which we look every year. It's a reflection of who we are, what our values are, and the people we care about, the people we are going to fight for. Unfortunately, I think the President's priorities are the wrong ones," Casey said.

So, Bush proposed a $3 trillion budget, the largest budget ever made by a President, and he left out programs that are important to Erie.

But we shouldn't worry too much yet. The President's budget is his plan for the next year, however, it's only a proposal. Now Congress is working on their own budget, and the process of coming to a compromise usually takes until at least October. OK, let's be honest, Congress seldom passes a budget on time these days anyway. And in this presidential election year, it's likely that a new President and Congress will be calling the shots.