Congressman Dan Goldman Calls For Expanded Low Income Federal Home Heating Aid

Goldman Leads 10 Members of NY Congressional Delegation in Calling for Additional $500 Million in Funding for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
 
One Million Eligible New Yorkers Do Not Receive Assistance Due to Underfunding; One of Highest Underserved Populations in the Nation
 
Black Households Spend 32 Percent More on Energy than Median; Hispanic Households Spend 13 Percent More
 
Low Income New Yorkers Often Forced to Choose Between Heating and Groceries
 
Read the Letter Here

New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today led members of the New York Congressional delegation in urging Congressional leadership to provide an additional $500 million in funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).  
 
An estimated one million New Yorkers are eligible for LIHEAP but do not receive assistance due to it being underfunded, making it one of the highest underserved populations in the nation.
 
High energy costs continue to hit low income New Yorkers the hardest, often forcing them to choose between heating their homes and paying for other everyday needs like groceries. Seniors, communities of color, and families on fixed incomes are most directly impacted by rising heating costs.
 
The letter was signed by Representatives Dan Goldman, Jerrold Nadler, Pat Ryan, Paul Tonko, Ritchie Torres, Jamaal Bowman, Nydia Velázquez, Grace Meng, Adriano Espaillat, and Brian Higgins.  
 
The letter can be read here and below:  
 
Dear Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker McCarthy, and Minority Leader Jeffries:
 
We write to urge more funding be provided for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as it is urgently needed. New Yorkers pay some of the highest prices in the country for heating costs, including record highs for heating oil. Recent cold storms have sent prices skyrocketing again.
 
High energy prices continue to be a problem. From shortages to transportation issues and now increasing costs, New Yorkers are struggling to heat their homes. Our constituents face the difficult choice between heating their homes and paying for other everyday needs like groceries. Seniors and those families on fixed incomes are most directly impacted by these rising heating costs.
 
An estimated one million New Yorkers are eligible for LIHEAP but do not receive assistance due to it being underfunded, which is one of the highest underserved populations in the nation. Supplemental LIHEAP funding would allow us to help many more seniors and families as costs rise and families struggle to keep up.
 
Increased funding will particularly help communities of color who disproportionately face high energy burdens – with Black households spending 32% more of their income on energy and Hispanic households spending 13% more of their income on energy than the median household. Only 45% of New York City households who qualify for LIHEAP received assistance from this vital program, including some public housing tenets who are very much in need of its help.
 
As you know, LIHEAP benefits both homeowners and renters. And rural residents who live in Western New York or residents who live in the Upper Hudson region are paying some of the highest heating bills across the state. Costs for heating oil and kerosene, which is used in the rural parts of our state, have increased as much as twenty one percent and fifty-three percent respectively. This funding would directly impact seniors whose fixed incomes force them to struggle to keep up with rising costs and inflation, and now higher heating bills.
 
We request an additional $500 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to expand assistance to families so they can keep warm this winter even if they are struggling financially.

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