Boston (October 26, 2023) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Richard Neal (MA-01), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), and Bill Keating (MA-09), released the following statement today in celebration of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarding Massachusetts more than $130 million in funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to provide assistance on household energy bills:

“No family should have to suffer through a cold winter in Massachusetts simply because they cannot afford to heat their home. LIHEAP funding is a lifeline for tens of thousands of Bay Staters and their families every year. This $130 million will help make sure that families can afford the heating they need to stay warm and safe. We will keep fighting for bigger, bolder LIHEAP investments so that low-income households in every corner of our Commonwealth aren’t forced to choose between chills and bills.”   

Today’s funding release includes funds appropriated by Congress from the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024, as well as $100 million appropriated for Fiscal Year 2024 from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Nearly $200,000 of the funding was awarded to Tribal nations in Massachusetts for direct administration of LIHEAP.

This month, in the wake of energy costs increasing, Senator Markey joined a letter to the Biden administration in support of supplemental LIHEAP funding for the Fiscal Year 2024. In February, Senator Markey and Representative Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) reintroduced the Heating and Cooling Relief Act to invest in and expand LIHEAP, ensuring families who are eligible for fuel assistance and support are provided the relief they need, and to leverage LIHEAP funding to invest in climate adoption and clean energy. Last October, the Massachusetts congressional delegation sent a letter requesting that the HHS expedite the release of LIHEAP funding for the winter. Last March, Senators Markey and Warren announced that Massachusetts will receive more than $80 million in weatherization funding from the IIJA to help families reduce their energy consumption and lower their energy bills.

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