WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the nation facing a looming economic crisis, Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) continued her work to give struggling American families a break by supporting the hundreds of advocates gathered on Capitol Hill today for the National Fuel Funds Network’s Washington Action Day for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). With both houses of Congress considering economic stimulus packages this week, this is the fourth in a series of steps Senator Mikulski is taking to help families struggling with the unstable job and housing markets and the high costs of gas, energy and health care.

“The federal government cannot focus on bailing out the sharks – I want to focus on the minnows. The stimulus needs to focus on Main Street, not Wall Street. I’m here to help families,” said Senator Mikulski. “The stimulus package must be timely and targeted to help struggling Americans meet their day-to-day needs.”

Earlier today, Senator Mikulski sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), outlining her recommendations to ensure the Senate’s economic stimulus package is a fix for families, not an increase in government bureaucracy. This week, she also called for the Senate stimulus package to include relief for state budgets to avoid cuts to critical health and education programs, such as Medicaid, that help millions of Americans stay afloat, and urged congressional leadership to include a targeted investment in transportation infrastructure in the stimulus as a means to help boost the economy. For more information, go to: http://mikulski.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=291464.

Senator Mikulski has consistently fought for funding for LIHEAP. Last month, she joined a group of her colleagues in introducing the Keep Americans Warm Act of 2007, to provide an additional $1 billion in emergency funding to the program. For more information, go to: http://mikulski.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=288243.

“Families and businesses in Maryland and across the country need our help. They are feeling stretched and strained by high energy costs and we need to show them that we are on their side,” said Senator Mikulski. “LIHEAP funds provide critical assistance to families in need. I will continue to fight with my colleagues to make sure no one goes cold in the winter.”