Free Republic

(WPRI/NEXSTAR) — Billions of dollars in federal aid is being made available to help Americans with their heating bills through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The Biden administration said Wednesday that roughly $4.5 billion has been allocated for LIHEAP this winter, to help low-income families pay their energy or utility bills, or, in some cases, to cover the cost of weatherization or repairs. The funds will be distributed to states, territories and tribal governments this week.

Just in time for the cold weather and holiday season, states have learned that Congress cut $1.2 billion from a program to provide heating and cooling assistance to low-income families. The large spending bill that Congress approved this month for 2012 contained about $3.5 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Advocates of LIHEAP had hoped Congress would fund the program at its 2010 level of $5.1 billion; it was funded at $4.7 billion for 2011, an amount that several governors urged Congress to maintain for this year. President Obama’s budget proposal would have cut LIHEAP funding...