Sens. Markey, Warren request immediate release of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance funds

Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) requested Wednesday that the Department of Health and Human Services immediately release the remaining ten percent of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) funds to help low-income families heat and cool their homes.

The remaining funds amount to approximately $337 million.

“The LIHEAP program is wildly successful and vitally important to millions of families across the country and hundreds of thousands in our state of Massachusetts,” Markey and Warren said in their letter to Secretary Alex Azar. “Now that Congress has passed a funding bill for the entire fiscal year and increased funding for the program by $250 million, there is no reason why the rest of the LIHEAP funding should not be released immediately.”

The senators noted that approximately 33 percent of households receiving LIHEAP assistance included at least one member 60 years of age or older, 38 percent had at least one member with a disability and 19 percent had at least one child five years of age or younger.

So far this year, Massachusetts has received approximately $130 million in LIHEAP funding. Approximately 200,000 Massachusetts families depend on LIHEAP each year to afford their home energy costs.