Forty Democratic and Republican senators are urging the Trump administration to release hundreds of millions of dollars for home energy assistance as Americans’ utility bills surge.
In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the senators asked for the immediate release of roughly $400 million in funding still available to states under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
LIHEAP, which is administered by HHS, helps poorer Americans cover portions of their electricity bills. The program is popular among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and has become a focal point for some members as the Trump administration has targeted its staff and called for it to be eliminated despite rising electricity prices.
“With low-income families and seniors feeling additional strains on their household budgets, a timely release of LIHEAP funding is even more critical to ensure families do not need to choose between paying their energy bills and other essentials, like food or medicine,” the senators wrote last week.
