NEFI: Congress Calls for Increase to LIHEAP

The House Appropriations Committee followed the Senate’s lead in moving to boost LIHEAP funding, the National Energy & Fuels Institute reported Sept. 10.

The committee approved a draft Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026, NEFI reported, with a final vote on the broader package of 35-28 “along party lines.”

The bill includes a $10 million increase for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), following the Senate’s earlier version, which proposed a $20 million increase, the Institute reported in a Legislative Alert to members.

“The fact that House Republicans not only preserved LIHEAP funding but increased it in a partisan bill – despite the Trump administration’s call for the program’s elimination – demonstrates the strong bipartisan support this program continues to enjoy,” the Institute said.

“However,” the trade group noted, “operational challenges remain. In April, Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. implemented sweeping departmental cuts, including the complete elimination of the federal LIHEAP staff. These positions have not been refilled. Currently, just one federal staff member is responsible for reviewing and approving more than 200 LIHEAP plans for states, territories, and tribes. This bottleneck could delay plan approvals and the disbursement of funds ahead of winter.

“In response to these staffing concerns, both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees included language in their draft bills to address the issue,” the NEFI Legislative Alert noted. “The language urges the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) – the office within the Department of Health and Human Services that oversees LIHEAP – to fill any vacancies that could impact program operations. It also reinforces ACF’s statutory responsibility to ensure home heating and cooling assistance is available to low-income households nationwide.”