Becerra, White House release $3.7B in home heating aid

WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday announced the release of roughly $3.7 billion in funding to help lowerincome households afford their home heating costs.

The funding, according to a senior administration official, represents 90 percent of the allocated funding for the program known as the Low Income

Home Energy Assistance Program for fiscal 2024, with the balance being held back in case there is a budgetary adjustment in the final full-year appropriation for the program, which is run by the Department of Health and Human Services.

“We’ve got news because the president worked so hard to get a bipartisan infrastructure law passed,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said. “We know that in the next several weeks — we’re beginning to figure out how people need to be able to stay warm.”

Six million families were reliant on LIHEAP for heating or cooling last year, the secretary said. The funding largely comes from regular appropriations through the current continuing resolution, with an additional $100 million from the Biden administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law. The funding released Tuesday (and the overall allocation) does not match last year’s level, however, because that included emergency supplemental funding.

“In addition, the Bidenharris administration is looking at every avenue to increase support to the American people, and we’re also looking at opportunities to potentially increase LIHEAP funding as well,” a senior administration official said.