$3.6B in Energy Assistance Funds Released After Shutdown

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00:003.6 billion dollars in energy assistance funds released after shutdown

00:04Approximately 3.6 billion dollars in delayed funding for the low-income home energy assistance program

00:11was released to states and tribes on Friday, providing relief to millions of low-income households struggling to pay for heating and cooling,

00:19the National Energy Assistance Directors Association reported.

00:23According to the Associated Press, the federal funding typically distributed at the start of November

00:27had been held up due to the federal government shutdown, which ended on November 12.

00:33This release of LIHEAP funding is essential and long overdue, said Mark Wolf, NEADA's Executive Director.

00:40Families can finally begin receiving the support they need to keep the heat on as winter begins.

00:45While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services oversees LIHEAP,

00:50it has yet to issue a formal public statement confirming the resumption of funding.

00:54After the shutdown ended, HHS noted that one of its agencies would

00:58work swiftly to administer annual awards, attributing delays to congressional Democrats.

01:04Wolf confirmed that state agencies have received award letters,

01:07allowing them to start distributing assistance to households.

01:11Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of U.S. House members

01:14urged HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to release the funds by November 30.

01:19There is no time to waste, the lawmakers wrote, highlighting the urgency for households that

01:24rely on home heating oil or propane, which are typically not covered by state winter utility

01:29moratoriums. Roughly 68 percent of LIHEAP households also receive SNAP food benefits.

01:35Wolf emphasized that delays in both programs during the shutdown put many households in an

01:40even more precarious situation than usual.

01:43Even with Friday's release, the demand for assistance remains high, Wolf said.

01:48Rising energy costs and near-record arrearages continue to strain families across the country.

01:54The need for support is enormous, he said, and these funds will help.

01:57But there's still a long way to go to ensure all households can stay warm this winter.