Washington, D.C. – With colder weather approaching and energy costs projected to increase this winter, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined a bipartisan group of senators 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. Federal LIHEAP funding is a crucial lifeline that helps low-income families and seniors on fixed incomes pay their energy bills and stay safe during the winter. HHS typically releases 90 percent of the $3.7 billion allocated to the program.
“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,” wrote Bennet and his colleagues in the letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “As state agencies work to prepare their LIHEAP programs for the coming winter, it is crucial that they have the resources they need to assist low-income households and seniors as soon as possible, especially in light of the current health crisis.”
The average cost of home heating is unaffordable for millions of low-income households, costing an average of $911 per year nationally. The rapid release of these funds will provide critical assistance, helping families unemployed as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic pay their energy bills. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, 15 to 20 percent of residential customers are at least 60 days behind on their electric and natural gas bills. As of July 31, 2020, the estimated resulting electric arrearages are between $8 billion and $9.9 billion and natural gas arrearages are between $975 million and $1.3 billion.
Bennet has long advocated for funding the LIHEAP program to help low-income families and seniors struggling to pay their utility bills. In April 2020, Bennet joined 27 of his Senate colleagues in urging the quick release of $900 million for LIHEAP in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Colorado received an additional $15.4 million for the program under the CARES Act.
Colorado’s LIHEAP is administered by the Department of Human Services. Colorado households received over $61.6 million in LIHEAP funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. In FY2019, over 68,000 Colorado households received LIHEAP assistance. In FY2019, LIHEAP provided participating Colorado households with an average of $463 in heating benefits.
In addition to Bennet, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Angus King (I-Maine), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Secretary Azar:
With passage of the continuing resolution, we write to urge the Department of Health and Human Services to release Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds as quickly and at the highest level possible.
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. October marks the start of the heating season for many states and low-income families and seniors will be facing additional strains on their household budgets. In addition, millions of low-income families, including seniors, are facing new and severe financial hardship due to the coronavirus, making the assistance provided through LIHEAP more important than ever.
As state agencies work to prepare their LIHEAP programs for the coming winter, it is crucial that they have the resources they need to assist low-income households and seniors as soon as possible, especially in light of the current health crisis. As such, we request that you quickly release LIHEAP funds at the highest level possible to allow states to prepare for the upcoming season, so that low-income households do not have to choose between paying for heat and affording other necessities like food or medicine.
We look forward to continuing to work with you on this critical program, and thank you for your attention to our concerns and those of our constituents.
Sincerely,