The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps keep families safe and healthy by making home energy costs more affordable for those with the greatest need. Created in the late 1970s in response to rising energy prices and declining purchasing power among low‑income households, LIHEAP provides federal block grant funding to states to help eligible families cover essential heating and cooling expenses.
LIHEAP prioritizes households with the lowest incomes and the highest energy burdens, including seniors, people with disabilities, and families with young children. Without this support, many families would face impossible choices between paying utility bills and meeting basic needs like food or medicine (the "heat or eat" phenomenon). Federal investment is essential as energy costs continue to rise, placing a higher burden on low-income families.
The enacted FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill included $4.045 billion for LIHEAP—a slight increase from FY25.
Ask your Member of Congress to at least maintain enacted funding levels for LIHEAP in FY27.
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