NASHUA – A federal program that helps more than 1,000 low-income families in New Hampshire pay energy bills is facing a $1.6 million reduction because of the budget-cutting sequester, after five years of reductions that have already cut its funding in half.

U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., and officials for the state and Southern New Hampshire Services in Nashua lamented these cuts during a public forum Monday. Kuster called on her Congressional colleagues to restore the heating assistance money, known as LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program).

“Our Fuel Assistance Program provides critical benefits to those who need them most,” said Celeste Lovett, fuel assistance program manager at the New Hampshire Office of Energy Planning, in a press release about the event. “Sequester cuts in program year 2013 cut benefits for New Hampshire families by $1.7 million, and that reduction is on top of reduced assistance in recent years.”

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