Press Releases

LOWELL, MA – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced that Massachusetts has been awarded $158.9 million in federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP). The total funding amount announced today includes the $37 million increase approved in the recent government funding bill, as well as an allocation from the $100 million for LIHEAP approved in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Trahan supported passage of last year.

“No parent should have to choose between heating their home or putting food on the table for their family. This investment of federal home heating assistance will go a long way toward keeping the heat on in tens of thousands of homes across the Commonwealth,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “I’m proud of the work we did to get this increased aid across the finish line and disbursed by the administration as soon as possible. I look forward to advocating for another increase as negotiations surrounding the next government funding package proceed in the coming weeks.”

Administered through the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this LIHEAP funding will help low-income individuals and families pay for home heating costs this winter and cover unpaid utility bills. These funds will also help families make cost-effective home energy repairs to lower their heating and cooling bills. Eligibility for Massachusetts families is based on income, and a chart showing income thresholds can be accessed HERE.

In September, Trahan supported passage of a government funding package that included a $1 billion increase to the LIHEAP program, including an estimated $37 million increase for Massachusetts. Shortly after that legislation was signed into law, she led a request from members of the Massachusetts delegation to expedite the release of those funds as soon as possible.

Trahan has also continued to push for increases to home heating oil supplies across the region. In October, Trahan and Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) led members of the New England delegation in calling on President Joe Biden to release stockpiles from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve (NEHHOR) to help lower home heating costs for families across the region. Trahan also threw her support behind Kuster’s Home Heating Oil Price Reduction Act, which would increase NEHHOR’s capacity from 1 million to 4 million barrels.

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