The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in federal funds to help struggling families pay electric and gas utility bills.
The disbursement to states and tribes last week of more than $3.7 billion in Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, funds comes as the winter heating season bears down and utility bills skyrocket in many parts of the United States.
“This release of LIHEAP funding is essential and long overdue,” said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA), in a statement. “Families can finally begin receiving the support they need to keep the heat on as winter begins.”
The record federal government shutdown in October and part of November delayed the release of the funds.
