Through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced $4.5 billion in support to aid American families this winter with decreased heating costs. The Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to reduce costs and provide American working- and middle-class families more breathing room include the announcement made today.
States, territories, and tribes will receive monies through ACF’s Office of Community Services’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The federal initiative will assist families in making cost-effective home energy renovations to reduce their heating and cooling costs, in addition to providing assistance with this winter’s home heating costs and unpaid utility bills.
The $100 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, additional emergency funding Congress included in the September continuing resolution in response to the Biden-Harris Administration’s request for these funds, and regular appropriations by Congress make up the funds announced today.
According to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, “for more than 40 years, our program has assisted low-income families to pay their home heating and cooling expenditures.” “As heating expenses rise, it’s more crucial than ever to assist families that are having a hard time making ends meet. By keeping Americans safe and warm this winter with the support of this financing, we can contribute to their health and well-being.
Over 5.3 million households received heating, cooling, and weatherization services from LIHEAP in the most recent year. As millions of Americans battled with severe weather and natural disasters in the winter and summer, this help was especially crucial.
According to January Contreras, assistant secretary for the ACF, “no family or individual should have to go without the necessary heating or cooling in their house.” The financial strain of remaining warm this winter will be lessened thanks to this money, which will support struggling individuals and families.
According to Dr. Lanikque Howard, director of ACF Office of Community Services, low-income households spend three times as much of their income on energy bills as more affluent ones do. “As the frequency of extreme weather occurrences rises, it is more crucial than ever that we take all reasonable steps to ensure that individuals and families are aware of, are eligible for, and are provided with help.”
The Biden-Harris administration is dedicated to bringing down energy prices for American households, especially as winter approaches and the global energy market is still being impacted by Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. In order to reduce the cost of gasoline, President Biden is releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and urging energy companies to pass on their savings from reduced oil and wholesale gas prices to consumers.
He also achieved passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which utility CEOs claim will result in monthly utility bill savings of hundreds of dollars for American families.
