By Abby Hassler and Quenton King 

As nights get longer and the temperatures drop, many households across Appalachia brace for something that feels anything but festive this holiday season: the winter energy bills. From poor insulation in older homes to rising energy costs, staying warm and comfortable has become a luxury for far too many people. 

Utility bills are increasing rapidly — some people are paying 9.6% more on average this year than in 2024, which outpaces inflation and wage growth in many parts of the country, according to an analysis from the Center for American Progress. Despite President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to slash energy and electricity prices within his first 18 months in office, unfortunately, prices are only going up, and those increases are expected to continue. 

For decades, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program has provided utility assistance to an estimated six million Americans each year, helping families and individuals stay safe and warm during the brutally cold winter months. But this important, bipartisan federal assistance program has faced numerous attacks and uncertainty in recent months, threatening its long-term viability. There are several bills in Congress to stabilize the program — with energy affordability making headlines, legislators and the president have an opportunity to show they’re serious about the issue. 

What is LIHEAP?

In 1981, Congress established LIHEAP in response to rising energy prices in the 1970s. The program provides funding to states, tribes and territories to help low-income households:

• Pay for cooling and heating expenses once per year or season, depending on the state
• Make home-energy and weatherization upgrades
• Access assistance for weather-related or other energy-related household emergencies 
• Access services to reduce the ongoing need for energy assistance 

To be eligible, households must have “incomes at or below 150% of poverty or 60% of state median income, whichever is higher, although states may set lower limits.” And just being eligible to receive LIHEAP benefits doesn’t mean that households receive assistance, as funding is allocated by Congress each year and is subject to change. 

LIHEAP assistance typically is not a direct check to a household; most often, funds are paid directly to utilities or energy companies, which then apply them to eligible participants’ bills. Additionally, benefit payment levels vary between states. For instance, right now in Tennessee, LIHEAP heating assistance currently ranges from $174 to $750 for the season, while West Virginia’s maximum allowance for heating assistance is $2,000. Many states have a higher allowance for emergency repairs — for example, West Virginia’s maximum is $10,000.

LIHEAP is in trouble 

Although LIHEAP has traditionally received bipartisan support in Congress, previous presidential administrations have proposed drastically reducing funding. However, this year, Trump proposed eliminating LIHEAP funding entirely. The administration’s stated reasoning was that it would “instead support low-income individuals through energy dominance, lower prices and an America First economic platform.” Eliminating LIHEAP would result in immediate financial challenges for American families, especially since electricity and gas prices are rising across the country.

LIHEAP also faces administrative challenges. In April, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. fired the entire department that works on LIHEAP. Most of the funding for LIHEAP in this fiscal year had already been disbursed to states, so there didn’t seem to be an immediate disruption in the program, according to some news reports. However, continued lack of staff support could cause disruptions with the current funding allocation and future allocations. 

What’s next for LIHEAP?

While Congress was working on the fiscal year 2026 budget, both the Senate and House appropriations committees rejected the Trump administration’s request to eliminate LIHEAP funding. In fact, they proposed increasing LIHEAP’s appropriation. 

LIHEAP funding was put at risk when the government shut down in October due to Congress not agreeing on a FY 2026 budget or passing a continuing resolution. Typically, HHS distributes large chunks of LIHEAP funding in October or November of each year. When Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the government until Jan. 30, 2026, they included approximately $4 billion for LIHEAP and HHS released $3.6 billion of that funding to states at the end of November. 

In mid-October, during the shutdown, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Home Energy Assistance in Times of Shutdown Act or the HEATS Act. This bill would allow LIHEAP funding to continue during future government shutdowns. This would be important as government funding agreements are often contentious 

In the summer, members of Congress introduced the LIHEAP Staffing Support Act, which would set a minimum number of employees who must work on LIHEAP. 

Legislators have also introduced bills that would improve LIHEAP in various ways. The Heating and Cooling Relief Act increases funding for LIHEAP, expands eligibility, and creates a grant program to help households transition off of more expensive fossil fuels. 

With utility costs continuing to rise and it becoming increasingly expensive to make ends meet, Congress must continue to fund LIHEAP and ensure that it has the staff it needs to carry out its mission.

If you need help determining whether to apply for LIHEAP assistance, visit this link.