WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is leading a bipartisan push to have the White House Office of Management and Budget release the remaining roughly $400 million in Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding approved by Congress for Fiscal Year 2026.
Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined U.S. Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in leading a group of 35 senators urging OMB Director Russell Vought to swiftly release the remaining funds.
LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households cover utility bills, respond to energy emergencies, and reduce long-term costs through home weatherization and energy efficiency improvements. Nearly six million households nationwide received LIHEAP assistance over the last year.
“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,” the senators wrote. “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.”
The senators’ states are prepared to put the money to work immediately once it is released.
“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. […] Our states are ready to deploy these funds to help vulnerable households as soon as they receive them from HHS,” the senators concluded.
Collins, Reed, and Murkowski also led bipartisan efforts to preserve LIHEAP funding after the administration proposed eliminating the program. Congress ultimately provided a total of $4.045 billion for LIHEAP in FY26, a $20 million increase over the previous year.
When I was young I was told to work hard and someday I could enjoy retirement. Fast forward to “some day”, I’m 65 now, disabled from working hard all my life, and spend winter in Maine freezing because I have to use electric heat since I can’t afford to fix my chimney because of excessive property tax. My electric bill is $800 a month! I pray for death daily, to end my suffering. Welcome to Maine ….”the way life should be” ? Avoid this blue state at ALL costs !!!