Congressman Dan Goldman Works to Keep Homes Warm During Winter Months with Increased Funding for Home Heating Assistance

In 2022, Only 20 Percent of Eligible Households Received Relief Last Year from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program 

Additional Funding Will Help Low-Income New Yorkers Heat Their Homes During Winter Season 

Read the Letter Here 

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) and 114 other lawmakers in requesting $1.6 billion for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP helps keep families safe and healthy by providing financial assistance to reduce the costs associated with home energy bills and reducing the health risks that arise from inadequate home heating abilities.  

An estimated one million New Yorkers are eligible for LIHEAP but do not receive assistance due to underfunding, making it one of the highest underserved populations in the nation. 

“As you know, LIHEAP helps families who are at risk of being unable to afford to heat their homes in the winter or cool them in the summer. Last year, more than six million households across the country relied on critical assistance from the LIHEAP program,” the lawmakers wrote. “For the families who receive LIHEAP, it is a critical lifeline that prevents them from making the impossible choice between staying warm and having enough food or paying for their medications.” 

Despite federal investment from the 2023 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, LIHEAP continues to be drastically underfunded, with just 20 percent of eligible households currently receiving assistance through the program. To assist households seeking to determine their eligibility for LIHEAP funding, HHS released a tool in English, Spanish, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese for households to quickly determine their eligibility. 

Congressman Goldman continues to fight for Home Heating Assistance Funding for low-income New Yorkers.  

In February, Congressman Goldman led 10 members of the New York Congressional Delegation in a letter to congressional leadership calling for an additional $500 million in LIHEAP funding for low-income New Yorkers. 

Read the letter here or below: 

Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jefferies, 

We write to support the inclusion of $1.6 billion in funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in any government funding package, to reflect the President’s FY24 emergency supplemental funding request. 

As you know, LIHEAP helps families who are at risk of being unable to afford to heat their homes in the winter or cool them in the summer. Last year, more than six million households across the country relied on critical assistance from the LIHEAP program. For the families who receive LIHEAP, it is a critical lifeline that prevents them from making the impossible choice between staying warm and having enough food or paying for their medications. 

With the winter months rapidly approaching, this funding is also needed to help address significant price fluctuations that energy markets continue to experience due to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. The conflict in the Middle East has also increased market uncertainty, and many energy market experts fear a rise in energy costs. These shifts disproportionately harm those who already struggle to pay their energy bills and underscore the need for robust funding for LIHEAP. 

Last year, $4.515 billion was distributed in LIHEAP funding across the country, including $100 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $1 billion in supplemental appropriations. Even so, LIHEAP remains an historically underfunded and oversubscribed program with only 20 percent of households who qualify receiving support. Fortunately, determining one’s eligibility for LIHEAP is easier than ever following HHS’s release of a multilingual tool for households to quickly check if they qualify for assistance. However, without additional funding, LIHEAP will only run out sooner. Congress has a responsibility to fully fund President Biden’s supplemental request for additional funding for LIHEAP in FY24. 

As you work to finalize a supplemental funding package, please include robust funding for LIHEAP to help families stay warm and prevent drastic service and benefit cuts this winter. 

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