***Federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds help Americans keep the lights and heat on and afford rising utility bills***
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined a bipartisan group of their Senate colleagues, including Jack Reed (D-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), in urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) swiftly and at the highest level possible. Currently, the Trump Administration has $4 billion in federal LIHEAP dollars to distribute. In New Hampshire, more than 57,500 Granite Staters rely on fuel assistance funded by LIHEAP to help pay their heating bills.
The lawmakers wrote, in part: “As Congress works to finalize the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services, we urge you to immediately release the highest amount of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available under the Continuing Resolution.”
The bipartisan group of Senators say the federal LIHEAP funding is a crucial lifeline that keeps vulnerable citizens safe and warm during winter by helping low-income households and older adults on fixed incomes pay their energy bills or replace a broken furnace in an emergency. The program also helps reduce energy costs through weatherization.
Nationwide, an estimated 6 million households received assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP over the last year. According to a new forecast from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, home heating costs are estimated to rise nearly 8 percent over last winter on average, with costs for heating with electricity forecasted to increase even higher – to 10 percent above last year.
States and tribes typically receive their LIHEAP allocations from HHS by early November. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources. In New Hampshire, eligibility is set at 60% of the state median income, which is $62,252 for a two-person household or $91,548 for a family of four. Granite Staters can apply for fuel assistance through their Community Action Agency at www.CAPNH.org.
The Trump Administration proposed eliminating LIHEAP in its fiscal year 2026 (FY26) budget plan, but Shaheen supported successful bipartisan pushback to save and fund the program as a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations committee. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for FY26 would provide a $20 million increase for LIHEAP to $4.045 billion, while the House Appropriations Committee recommended a $10 million increase.
In addition to Shaheen, Hassan, Reed, Collins and Murkowski, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) Richard Durbin (D-IL) Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
You can read the full letter here.
Shaheen has championed work to secure federal investments in clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives to lower energy costs across New Hampshire. In April, Shaheen condemned efforts by the Trump administration to eliminate staff responsible for administering the LIHEAP program. Shaheen was a key supporter of the Inflation Reduction Act and a lead negotiator of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation that made landmark investments in energy efficiency. In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Shaheen pushed for increased LIHEAP funding for Granite State families, contributing to the highest total of LIHEAP funding ever received in a 12-month period in New Hampshire history.
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