Collins, Reed Lead Bipartisan Call to Increase Funding for Winter Heating & Weatherization Assistance

Press Release

In an effort to help provide as much assistance as possible to households struggling to afford their winter heating bills, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jack Reed (D-RI) are once again leading a bipartisan push to increase the amount of available federal heating assistance for low-income families and seniors in the final appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2016.

In a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Collins and Reed led a group of 34 senators in urging the appropriations leaders to increase funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) this fiscal year. The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved $3.39 billion for LIHEAP in its Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, which is the same amount that was provided in FY 2015, and $197 million for WAP in its Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill, which is $7 million more than the level provided in FY 2015. However, in their letter, the Senators say the number of households eligible for LIHEAP assistance continues to exceed the available funding for the program, which saw cuts in past years, necessitating increased investment in the program.

"Access to affordable home energy is a matter of health and safety for many low-income households, children, and seniors. The LIHEAP program remains an important lifeline that helps prevent people from having to choose between heating their home, paying their bills, or going without food or medicine. In addition, the Weatherization program helps low-income families and seniors to permanently reduce their home energy bills. We must ensure that these critical programs are adequately funded and able to help our most vulnerable citizens," said Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee.

"LIHEAP is an important program that provides a vital safety net for Rhode Island's low-income households, disabled individuals, and senior citizens living on fixed incomes, and we need to ensure that this support will remain available at the appropriate level for all families in need as the cold winter months approach. The WAP program has also helped low-income residents make lasting and cost-effective energy efficiency improvements to their homes and reduce the burden of high energy prices for more than three decades. We need robust funding for these complementary programs, which help many Rhode Island families stay afloat," said Senator Reed, the Ranking Member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee.

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