Massachusetts Awarded $142 Million in Federal Home Heating Assistance Funds

Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) highlighted the awarding of $142,330,091 in federal funding to Massachusetts through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The early allocation follows Trahan’s request for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release Massachusetts’ LIHEAP funding before the end of the month to combat surging home heating costs.

“No family in Massachusetts should have to choose between heating their home and affording groceries or medicine,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “With heating oil prices up nearly 75 percent from last year, that choice is becoming a reality for far too many households. Releasing these funds early will help families prepare for the winter ahead. But this year’s allocation falls short of last year’s at a time when the need is greater than ever. Congress must act to restore and strengthen this lifeline.”

This year’s $142.3 million allocation is nearly $4 million less than Massachusetts’ initial allocation last year, which totaled $146 million. The drop is driven by the expiration of the five-year LIHEAP increase included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which delivered an additional $6.4 million to the Commonwealth last year alone over the baseline $139.6 million allocation.

Crude oil prices have topped $100 per barrel multiple times this year, most recently on September 15. Because heating oil is refined from crude, those spikes hit Massachusetts households hardest. State utility shutoff moratoriums protect many families through the coldest months, but they do nothing for households that must pay in full before a heating oil delivery.

The LIHEAP program has long been underfunded. On average, just 20 percent of eligible households receive assistance each year. In 2023, Trahan led an effort to increase federal LIHEAP funding. Earlier this month, Trahan, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Congressman Stephen Lynch led 24 of their colleagues in pressing the Department of Energy to act on soaring heating oil costs and end the administration’s attacks on LIHEAP, which it has tried to eliminate.

Massachusetts residents can learn more about and apply for heating assistance HERE.

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