Senator Gillibrand Joins Bipartisan Group Calling For Release of $400 Million in Remaining Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Funding

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has joined a bipartisan group of senators on calls for the Trump administration to take action on rising energy costs. Senator Gillibrand says working families throughout the country have faced “sticker shock” from rising gas and utility bills and action is needed to provide energy assistance to those in need.

A letter signed by 39 members of the US Senate, including Gillibrand, to Secretary Robert Kennedy, urges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to release nearly $400 million in remaining Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding that Congress delivered in the Fiscal Year 2026.

“As the Trump administration pours hard-earned taxpayer dollars into endless wars abroad and hands out massive tax breaks to billionaires and giant corporations, millions of hardworking American families are struggling just to keep their homes warm as utility bills skyrocket,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This is unacceptable.”

LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households pay utility bills, address energy crises, and lower costs by improving home energy efficiency through weatherization. Over the last year, nearly six million households nationwide received LIHEAP assistance to help them avoid utility shut-offs or having to make impossible tradeoffs such as delaying medical care, skipping meals, or turning to high-cost payday loans that lead to a cycle of unending debt.

For the 2026 Fiscal Year, Congress provided a total of $4.045 billion in LIHEAP funding, a $20 million increase from the year prior. Last November $3.7 billion was released to states for distribution by local nonprofit organizations that deliver social services, community health, and housing assistance to low-income individuals, the elderly, and those with disabilities across the country.

Gillibrand says because of a nationwide cold snap, coupled with soaring home heating costs and spiking gas prices, has squeezed many Americans’ finances – with those who can least afford the energy price shocks suffering the hardest financial blow.

“We urge you to immediately release the remaining roughly $400 million of FY26 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available under PL 119-75,” the senators wrote in their letter. “Any delay in the release of appropriated funds would set back states’ efforts to cover outstanding bills relating to unexpected delivered fuel emergencies, to weatherize low-income homes, and to plan for summer cooling programs. Our states are ready to deploy these funds to help vulnerable households as soon as they receive them from HHS.”