U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Thursday called on President Donald Trump to release funding in the program that helps low-income residents pay to heat their homes during the fall and winter.
The money is part of the program called LIHEAP-- or the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
"LIHEAP provides federal funding to help low-income New Yorkers afford their energy bills and make cost-effective repairs to their heating systems," Gillibrand said in her remarks. "Over 1.1 million New York families rely on this program to afford to heat their homes."
She went on to add, "It is a vital lifeline for people across New York."
In a virtual news conference, Gillibrand told reporters she planned to send a letter to Trump "demanding" that he release the money as soon as possible.
Responding to a reporter's question wondering if Trump is late in releasing the funding, Gillibrand responded, saying, "He's not officially late yet, but we're asking him to release the funds now because people are so anxious about being able to afford their heating bills because of the cost of everything else. If the LIHEAP money flows, people can do their applications and then know they can heat their homes. It's also getting colder, particularly in Upstate and in Western New York, so people are going to need their heating to be turned on very soon, if it's not on already."
Gillibrand says she's sending to President Trump demanding that his administration release the LIHEAP funding. Congress included the LIHEAP funding in the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 earlier this year, Gillibrand's office said.
It was last week when the price of crude oil rose to $100 per barrel for the first time since July, which Gillibrand says is a direct result of Trump's war with Iran. The oil-price increase has driven up the average cost of heating oil in New York to $6.14 per gallon, representing a 66 percent increase compared to a year ago.
In 2025, the Trump administration didn't release LIHEAP funding until the end of November following the government shutdown that lasted 43 days.
