U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Push the Trump Administration to Release Heating Assistance Funds Before Winter

More than 100,000 Minnesota households relied on federal energy assistance last winter

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) and several colleagues are leading a bipartisan push for the federal government to release energy assistance funding as quickly as possible, helping families stay safe and warm as our weather cools and energy costs spike. More than 100,000 Minnesota households relied on the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) last winter. Nationwide, an estimated 6 million households received assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP over the last year. Demand for assistance is expected to increase as the average family will likely spend around $1,030 to heat their homes this winter, an 8.7% increase from last year. Heating oil costs are projected to soar by 31% this winter.

"In Minnesota, heating your home isn't a luxury, it's a necessity," said Sen. Klobuchar. "With colder weather on the horizon, families shouldn't have to choose between staying warm and putting food on the table."

"Mother Nature doesn't play politics, and we shouldn't either," said Sen. Smith. "No one in Minnesota or across the country should have to choose between turning on the heat or paying for their medications or groceries."

Sens. Klobuchar and Smith, along with 27 of their colleagues from both parties, sent a letter requesting the Department of Health and Human Services release the roughly $4 billion in federal LIHEAP funds before winter home-heating bills arrive. Last year, President Trump fired staff working to deliver LIHEAP benefits, slowing the process of paying the bills on time. The President proposed eliminating LIHEAP altogether in fiscal year 2027, until Sens. Klobuchar, Smith and colleagues pushed back and successfully prevented LIHEAP from being dismantled.

Senators involved in the bipartisan push in addition to Sens. Klobuchar and Smith include Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Angus King, Jr. (I-ME), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Warner (D-VA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Gary Peters (D-MI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Full text of the letter is below:

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

As you know, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (P.L. 119-103) requires the Department of Health and Human Services to distribute no less than 90 percent of its total LIHEAP allotment by November 1, 2026. Given the extraordinary pressure consumers will face this winter, we ask that you make this distribution well before the deadline.

October marks the start of the heating season for many states, and with temperatures already dropping, low-income families and seniors are feeling additional strains on their household budgets. As the main federal program benefiting these individuals with their energy bills, LIHEAP provides critical assistance to vulnerable families and seniors during the cold winter and hot summer months. State agencies and tribes are already activating their LIHEAP programs for the coming winter. A quick release of funding will ensure no gaps in assistance.

We look forward to working with you on this critical program. Thank you for your attention to our concerns and those of our constituents.

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