This morning, Congresswoman Annie Kuster renewed her call on Congress and the President to support funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP provides low-income households with heating assistance to help ensure they have access to heat during the cold winter months. This program is crucial for many seniors, families with young children, and individuals with disabilities across the state. Last month, Kuster joined Congressmen Peter Welch (D-VT) and Peter King (R-NY) in sending a letter to President Obama urging him to increase funding for the program in his fiscal year 2016 budget.

“LIHEAP provides heating assistance for some of New Hampshire’s most vulnerable citizens, and failing to adequately fund the program puts many of these Granite Staters at extreme risk,” said Congresswoman Annie Kuster. “We must ensure every Granite Stater stays warm during the freezing winter months, and I was proud to join my colleagues across the aisle in urging for increased funding for this vital program. I urge every Member of Congress to work together to ensure this program receives the support it needs.”

Kuster has demonstrated a long history of support for the LIHEAP program; during the winter of 2013, she brought together members of the community during a visit to Southwestern Community Services in Keene to highlight the extreme importance of the program to New Hampshire residents. LIHEAP funding in New Hampshire has fallen every year since 2008, with its steepest cuts taking place in 2013 due to sequestration. Kuster has repeatedly called on Congress to permanently end the sequester, which threatens programs like this one, and she has continued to fight for LIHEAP funding throughout her time in office.

The text of the letter is below:

December 18, 2014

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

We are writing to request that you prioritize the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in your Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 budget proposal by including no less than $4.7 billion for this program that provides critical support to our most vulnerable citizens.

LIHEAP is the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, providing vital assistance during both the cold winter and hot summer months. LIHEAP households are among the most vulnerable in the country. According to the National Energy Assistance Director’s Association (NEADA), more than 90 percent of LIHEAP recipients have at least one household member who is a child, elderly, or disabled, and 20 percent of households contain at least one veteran. For these households, LIHEAP funding has been a lifeline during challenging economic times. Access to affordable home energy is not a luxury – it is a matter of health and safety.

We understand the ongoing discretionary budget challenges. However, we are deeply concerned that funding for LIHEAP has declined more than 30 percent in recent years. Moreover, the number of households eligible for assistance continues to exceed available funding. According to NEADA, the total number of households receiving LIHEAP assistance has declined by 17.7 percent between FY 2010 and FY 2014, from 8.1 million to 6.6 million. About 1.5 million poor households have lost access to critical LIHEAP assistance and struggle to pay for the basic necessity of home energy in addition to other essentials like food and medicine.

Funding has declined by almost $1.7 billion since FY 2010, yet energy costs have remained high, reducing the purchasing power of LIHEAP assistance. Recipients have seen their average LIHEAP grant reduced by about $95 since 2010, from $520 in FY 2010 to $424 in FY 2014.  The average LIHEAP grant is estimated to cover less than half of the average home heating costs for a household this winter, meaning that many low-income families and seniors will have fewer resources available to meet other basic needs.

As you finalize your FY 2016 budget request, we ask that you take into account the great need for LIHEAP. We urge you to reprioritize this program within your FY 2016 budget and restore funding to this program to a level no less than $4.7 billion.

Thank you for your attention to and consideration of this important request.

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