Heating aid program spared, and with cash to spare

A federal heating aid program for low-income residents has survived another attempt by President Donald Trump to kill it.

The $1.3 trillion spending bill signed by Trump on Friday includes $3.64 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

The aid includes an extra $250 million, the first increase in five years.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” said Mark Wolfe, director of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association in Washington, D.C. “Not only did Congress reject the president’s proposal but they increased our funding. This will significantly help poor people.”

The program is especially important in the Northeast, where states are more reliant on heating oil to keep their homes warm in the winter.

It was the second time Trump tried to kill the program. He contends that it’s unnecessary and rife with fraud, but program supporters say the program, known as LIHEAP, is a lifeline for the elderly, disabled and others on fixed incomes.

Trump said states have programs to prevent utility shutoffs in cold weather, but there is no such requirement for heating oil dealers, which are not regulated like electric and natural gas utilities, to deliver to customers who cannot pay.

All told, the program has served about 6 million households in recent years, and the extra funding is enough to serve 500,000 more, Wolfe said. The program also helps people stay cool in the blazing summer heat of states such as Florida and Arizona.