Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined a bipartisan effort led by Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) urging the Department of Health and Human Services to release funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as quickly as possible.
LIHEAP helps low-income families and seniors pay their energy bills to keep their homes warm during the winter months. Over the last year, six million households used LIHEAP to help heat or cool their homes. Despite the government shutdown having ended this week, the Trump administration has not released $4 billion in federal LIHEAP funding.
“As Congress works to finalize the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services, we urge you to immediately release the highest amount of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available under the Continuing Resolution,” wrote the 31 senators.
“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,” they continued. “October marked the start of the heating season for many states, and with temperatures already dropping, low-income families and seniors are feeling additional strains on their household budgets.”
“As state agencies and tribes activate their LIHEAP programs for the coming winter, it is crucial that they have the resources on hand to help low-income households and seniors as soon as possible,” they concluded. “As such, we request that you quickly release LIHEAP funds at the highest level possible, so that low-income households do not have to choose between paying for heat and affording other necessities like food or medicine.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
Senator Cortez Masto has consistently supported lowering costs for working families in Nevada. She has secured millions of dollars for low-income Nevadans through the LIHEAP program in previous years. She has championed legislation to end taxes on tips and worked to address barriers in its implementation. She has introduced legislation to ensure Medicare can continue to negotiate the price of expensive cancer medications.
###