Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) joined 115 House members in requesting increased funding totaling $1.6 billion for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

“As you know, LIHEAP helps families who are at risk of being unable to afford to heat their homes in the winter or cool them in the summer. Last year, more than six million households across the country relied on critical assistance from the LIHEAP program,” the lawmakers wrote. “For the families who receive LIHEAP, it is a critical lifeline that prevents them from making the impossible choice between staying warm and having enough food or paying for their medications.”

Full letter is available here and copied below.

In Fiscal Year 2023, the LIHEAP program distributed a total of more than $4.5 billion in home heating assistance to families across the United States, including $100 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding and an additional $1 billion from the government funding package passed in September 2022. Despite the significant federal investment, LIHEAP continues to be underfunded, with just 20 percent of eligible households currently receiving assistance through the program.

Maine was recently awarded a total of $37,079,989 in LIHEAP funding for this winter, including $36,427,369 in formula funding and an additional $652,620 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

In 2022, Rep. Pingree led a coalition of representatives from the New England Congressional Delegation in pushing for additional LIHEAP funding, which was included in an emergency supplemental funding package last fall.

Nationwide, an estimated 6 million households receive assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP, including over 45,000 Maine households. LIHEAP is administered by states and accessed through local Community Action Agencies. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources. You can find more information on LIHEAP in Maine or apply for funding for the upcoming winter heating season HERE. 

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Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jefferies, 

We write to support the inclusion of $1.6 billion in funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in any government funding package, to reflect the President’s FY24 emergency supplemental funding request. 

As you know, LIHEAP helps families who are at risk of being unable to afford to heat their homes in the winter or cool them in the summer. Last year, more than six million households across the country relied on critical assistance from the LIHEAP program. For the families who receive LIHEAP, it is a critical lifeline that prevents them from making the impossible choice between staying warm and having enough food or paying for their medications. 

With the winter months rapidly approaching, this funding is also needed to help address significant price fluctuations that energy markets continue to experience due to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. The conflict in the Middle East has also increased market uncertainty, and many energy market experts fear a rise in energy costs. These shifts disproportionately harm those who already struggle to pay their energy bills and underscore the need for robust funding for LIHEAP. 

Last year, $4.515 billion was distributed in LIHEAP funding across the country, including $100 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $1 billion in supplemental appropriations. Even so, LIHEAP remains an historically underfunded and oversubscribed program with only 20 percent of households who qualify receiving support. Fortunately, determining one’s eligibility for LIHEAP is easier than ever following HHS’s release of a multilingual tool for households to quickly check if they qualify for assistance. However, without additional funding, LIHEAP will 

only run out sooner. Congress has a responsibility to fully fund President Biden’s supplemental request for additional funding for LIHEAP in FY24. 

As you work to finalize a supplemental funding package, please include robust funding for LIHEAP to help families stay warm and prevent drastic service and benefit cuts this winter. 

Sincerely, 

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