Klobuchar, Smith Urge HHS to Release LIHEAP Funding

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are urging the Department of Health and Human Services to release the remaining FY26 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available to all states, including Minnesota.

"We write to urge you to immediately release the remaining FY26 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available to all states, including Minnesota," the Senators wrote. "LIHEAP is the main federal program that assists low-income households and seniors with their energy bills."

"In Minnesota it has helped over 100,000 households this winter, preventing over 17,000 disruptions," the Senators continued. "As low-income families and seniors feel additional strains on their household budgets, the timely release of LIHEAP funds is crucial to ensure families do not need to choose between paying their energy bills and other essentials, like food or medicine. Particularly as parts of Minnesota are still seeing freezing temperatures, funding for our state is critical."

This letter follows a bipartisan letter that Klobuchar and Smith joined to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought, demanding that OMB release funding to all states.

The Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides families with payment assistance to help cover their home energy costs. LIHEAP can also be used to weatherize homes, making them more energy-efficient and mitigating energy emergencies during disasters and extreme weather.

The full letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

We write to urge you to immediately release the remaining FY26 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available to all states, including Minnesota.

LIHEAP is the main federal program that assists low-income households and seniors with their energy bills. Serving roughly 6.7 million households across the country, LIHEAP provides critical assistance during the cold winter and hot summer months. In Minnesota it has helped over 100,000 households this winter, preventing over 17,000 disruptions. As low-income families and seniors feel additional strains on their household budgets, the timely release of LIHEAP funds is crucial to ensure families do not need to choose between paying their energy bills and other essentials, like food or medicine. Particularly as parts of Minnesota are still seeing freezing temperatures, funding for our state is critical.

Any further delay in the release of these funds would also limit our state's ability to cover outstanding bills relating to unexpected delivered fuels emergencies, to weatherize low-income homes, and to plan for summer cooling programs. According to the Energy Assistance Program in Minnesota, assistance to vulnerable households may be paused if the remaining LIHEAP funds are not released within the next few weeks. Minnesota is ready to deploy these funds to help vulnerable households as soon as they are received from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

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