BOSTON — Members of the state’s congressional delegation are calling on the Trump administration to “immediately” release funds aimed at helping low-income people heat and cool their homes now that the government has reopened.
In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nearly 100 Democratic lawmakers including several of the state’s nine-member House delegation demanded the release of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funds.
“With the winter months approaching and extreme heat becoming increasingly frequent, families may soon be faced with the impossible choice between keeping their homes at a safe temperature and putting food on the table or affording their medications,” they wrote. “Ensuring the immediate release of LIHEAP funds is therefore not only a matter of compassion, but one of public health, safety, and economic stability.”
The letter, co-signed by U.S. Reps. Lori Trahan, Seth Moulton and Ayanna Pressley, also accused federal health officials of a “blatant disregard” for the importance of the LIHEAP funding to millions of low income Americans and said workforce reductions in the agency have delayed getting the money out.
“The administration’s reckless firings of all LIHEAP staff will only prolong these delays, as it is unclear who will approve states’ program plans and manage the release of the funds now that funding has been approved,” they wrote.
A group of Democratic senators, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, fired off a similar letter to Kennedy’s office Friday demanding that LIHEAP funds be released.
The funding was delayed by the federal government shutdown, which ended last week after 43 days when lawmakers approved a temporary spending bill. On Friday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the Trump administration of “slow walking” the release of the federal assistance to millions of low-income households.
But the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services fired back at Schumer’s claims, saying it was in the process of distributing the funds and blamed him and other Democrats for the shutdown.
“You created this mess. LIHEAP funds would be available now if Sen. Schumer hadn’t led the Democrats in a 43-day shutdown with reckless disregard for American families,” the agency posted on social media. “HHS is expediting internal procedures to accelerate the disbursement of LIHEAP funds as soon as possible.”
Under the LIHEAP program, homeowners who earn 60% of the state median income are eligible for assistance paying for fuel, electricity and weatherization upgrades.
This year, an individual with income of $49,196 or less is eligible for assistance, while the maximum level for a family of four is $94,608 a year, according to the state Executive Office of Housing and Community Development.
LIHEAP grants are also available for individuals and households which have reported income ranging from 100% to 200% of the federal poverty level.
More than 150,000 low-income households in Massachusetts received assistance through the program in 2024, according to federal energy data. The state received more than $145 million for LIHEAP grants in the previous year, according to federal data.
Massachusetts is the third-largest consumer of home heating oil in the nation, with an estimated 700,000 homes using about 850 million gallons a year, according to industry figures.
The state has some of the highest energy costs in this nation, which consumer advocates say have an outsized impact on low- and even some middle-income households that have trouble keeping up with expenses.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.