Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), led dozens of colleagues in a letter to U.S Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding that funding from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) be distributed to states no later than November 1, 2026, as required by the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act for FY 2027, in preparation for the coming colder season.

“With a history of repeated funding delays by HHS to states, we are especially concerned for households facing high energy prices this winter who rely on LIHEAP. We appreciate the agency’s responsiveness to Congressional requests for expeditious LIHEAP fund releases over Fiscal Year 2026, but with households facing skyrocketing high energy costs, it is of the utmost importance that the agency ensures funds are released on time and without congressional intervention through Fiscal Year 2027,” the lawmakers wrote. 

Since February, crude oil prices have significantly increased, topping significantly more than $100 per barrel at its peaks in April 2026 and recently on September 15, 2026. These price spikes impact home heating oil prices especially, as it is refined from crude oil. While states do what they can to protect households with utility shutoff moratoriums throughout the coldest months out of the year, these moratoriums do not protect households who rely on home heating oil and face large upfront costs early in the season to fill their home heating oil tank,” the lawmakers continued.” 

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps low-income Americans pay for heating or cooling bills as well as receive emergency services during an energy crisis. During the winter season, home heating can average $2,300. Since the start of the Iran war, energy bills have risen for families across America. In the Commonwealth, home heating oil prices jumped nearly 75% from a year ago. Over the past year, Massachusetts has received $163,276,528 in LIHEAP funding, including $6,492,479 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The letter sent today requests that funding for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts on October 1st, be released expeditiously.

The LIHEAP program has historically been underfunded, with just 20 percent of eligible households currently receiving assistance through the program each year on average. Despite a temporary increase in funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the program still hasn’t met the need in states across the country. In 2023, Trahan spearheaded an effort to increase federal LIHEAP funding.

A copy of the letter sent today can be accessed HERE.