Washington, DC – This week, Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), a Warrensville Hts. Democrat who's 11th congressional district includes Cleveland, joined 115 House colleagues in requesting increased funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The letter was led by Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) and Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-02) and was sent to House and Senate leaders Thursday. The letter requested including $1.6 billion in supplemental funding for LIHEAP in any government funding package, citing significant energy price fluctuations due to global conflicts. A copy of the letter can be found here.

"Here in Northeast Ohio, winters are cold, heating bills can be large, and many of my constituents need assistance," said Congresswoman Brown. "We need to make sure that LIHEAP is fully funded and stable so that those in need can be warm."

"As you know, LIHEAP helps families who are at risk of being unable to afford to heat their homes in the winter or cool them in the summer. Last year, more than six million households across the country relied on critical assistance from the LIHEAP program," the lawmakers wrote in the letter. "For the families who receive LIHEAP, it is a critical lifeline that prevents them from making the impossible choice between staying warm and having enough food or paying for their medications."

In Fiscal Year 2023, the LIHEAP program distributed a total of more than $4.5 billion in home heating assistance to families across the United States, including $100 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding and an additional $1 billion from the government funding package passed in September 2022. Despite the significant federal investment, LIHEAP continues to be underfunded, with just 20 percent of eligible households currently receiving assistance through the program.

In October, Congresswoman Brown announced that Ohio was awarded a total of $153.6 million in LIHEAP funding for this winter, with $149 million coming from existing formula funding and an additional $4.49 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

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