Senators Seek to Prevent LIHEAP Aid from Being Cut in Half

Press Release

In an effort to prevent millions of Americans from being left out in the cold this winter, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are leading the effort to restore funding for the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP is a federal block grant program that provides states with annual funding to operate home energy assistance programs for seniors and low-income households.

Due to elevated prices of energy and high unemployment levels, for the last two years Senators Reed and Snowe have led the effort to secure $5.1 billion annually for LIHEAP to help more than 8.8 million low-income households nationwide, including over 37,000 in Rhode Island and 63,000 in Maine. However, as a result of the failure to enact appropriations bills, the funding level for the program this year is unclear, resulting in an initial allocation 40 percent lower than last year's levels.

Today, Senators Reed, Snowe, and 44 of their colleagues are sending a bipartisan letter urging the Appropriations Committee to provide certainty to the program as we enter the winter months and extend last year's level of funding for LIHEAP in any final appropriations bill for the entire fiscal year 2011.

"We need to do everything we can to ensure that families, especially those with children and elderly residents, can stay safe and warm during the winter. Allowing LIHEAP to be slashed when so many families are desperate for assistance would give new meaning to the term "cold-hearted.' Congress needs to act now to restore this funding and help our states and community partners provide families with the assistance they need during the cold weather months," said Reed, noting that Rhode Island received over $33.6 million in LIHEAP funding last year.

"With heating oil prices 11 percent higher than last year while Maine's unemployment level remains near 8 percent, the LIHEAP program regrettably will be the only means for thousands of Mainers to stay warm during the upcoming winter months. Heating is not a luxury, it is a necessity, and LIHEAP, a program that I have supported my entire Congressional career, often serves as the only means to guarantee home heating in tough economic times. Given the economic condition of our country and the State of Maine, I believe that we should maintain the current level of a critical program," said Senator Snowe.

With the economy still sputtering, LIHEAP applications are expected to jump again this year as more than 10 million American households are expected to need help with winter energy bills.

Even though LIHEAP funding is in limbo, residents can still call their local Community Action Program (CAP) Agencies to apply for assistance. Once enrolled in the program, individuals may work out a payment plan that protects them from having their utilities disconnected through the coldest winter months.

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