Shaheen Calls on Trump Administration to Release Energy Assistance Funding Amid Surging Energy Costs

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined a bipartisan group of 39 of her Senate colleagues in calling on the Trump Administration to take action and provide energy assistance to those in need. The bipartisan letter, which urges U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to immediately release the approximately $400 million in remaining Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding that Congress delivered in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, was led by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
The Senators wrote, in part:“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. As the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, LIHEAP provides critical assistance during the cold winter and hot summer months. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, households are expected to spend 11% more on winter heating costs this winter compared to last year. With low-income families and seniors feeling additional strains on their household budgets, a timely release of LIHEAP funding is even more critical to ensure families do not need to choose between paying their energy bills and other essentials, like food or medicine.”
They concluded:“Any delay in the release of appropriated funds would set back states’ efforts to cover outstanding bills relating to unexpected delivered fuels 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.”
The full text of the letter can be foundHERE.
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.
At a time when the cost of living is a top concern, Shaheen has led the charge in Washington to protect federal programs that help Granite Staters afford their energy bills and make energy efficiency updates that save money. Last fall, Shaheen joined efforts to ensure the Administrationreleasedthe majority of FY 2026 LIHEAP funding, which more than 57,000 Granite Staters rely on to help pay their home heating bills – providing critical assistance to families during New Hampshire winters. Shaheen has also previouslycondemned effortsby the Trump Administration to eliminate staff responsible for administering the LIHEAP program.
Shaheen was a key supporter of theInflation Reduction Actand a lead negotiator of theBipartisan Infrastructure Law,legislation that made landmark investments in energy efficiency. In theBipartisan Infrastructure Law,Shaheen helped secure $3.5 billion in additional funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program, including $18 million for New Hampshire. Shaheen has long championed the Weatherization Assistance Program to lower energy costs for low-income families in New Hampshire, as well as the State Energy Program, which assists states with the development of energy efficiency renewable projects. In December of last year, the New Hampshire delegationcalled onthe Department of Energy to immediately release the remaining $9 million in funding for weatherization from theBipartisan Infrastructure Law. In addition, Shaheen led the delegation in opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to terminate a$43 million grant for New Hampshireto support community solar and other solar projects that would reduce residents’ utility bills by 20% or more.
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