WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Amid a frigid Maine winter and the ongoing economic hardships countless Americans are experiencing due to the coronavirus pandemic, Maine Independent Sen. Angus King and more than 40 Democratic senators are urging to boost federal funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the next pandemic relief package.
“During a brutal Maine winter, heating your home is a necessity that cannot be ignored,” King said in a statement to NEWS CENTER Maine. “Since Maine’s energy costs are among the highest in the nation, LIHEAP funding is a lifeline for families across our state, helping them stay warm without having to sacrifice other necessities – especially as the pandemic continues to batter our state’s public health and economy.”
LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households with their home energy bills by providing payment and energy crisis assistance. With temperatures dropping, gas and electricity bills mounting, and COVID-19 continuing to create economic uncertainty for households nationwide, the senators say additional LIHEAP funds are critical to keep people safe, stop the spread of COVID-19, and prevent vulnerable Americans from having their utilities shut off, and accumulating debts they cannot afford to pay.
In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, dated Feb. 1, the senators say LIHEAP is an “indispensable lifeline” for Americans.
“The LIHEAP program is well-positioned to quickly respond to, and support the needs of, millions of American households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic who are struggling to heat their homes this winter and cool their homes next summer,” the senators wrote. “State energy officials have reported that they are ready to move additional LIHEAP funds quickly and have identified a need for an additional $10 billion to serve 11 million families, including newly-eligible households.”
In addition to the $900 million in LIHEAP funds through the CARES Act, Congress worked on a bipartisan basis to provide $3.7 billion for LIHEAP in 2020. The senators are urging additional LIHEAP funding be included as part of a comprehensive federal COVID-19 response that protects vulnerable American households across the country.
“We appreciate the $900 million included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act for LIHEAP, but those funds are now fully obligated and additional funding is necessary to help the newly unemployed with their growing bills,” they concluded.
Along with King, New England senators who signed the letter include N.H. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, Mass. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Vt. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
A spokesperson for Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins tells NEWS CENTER Maine in the coming days, Collins will be leading a bipartisan letter to the Biden Administration urging them to include robust funding for the LIHEAP program in their budget request to Congress.
