Massachusetts has received more than 181,000 requests for heating assistance so far this fiscal year

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) and all members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation — Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representatives Richard Neal (MA-1), Jim McGovern (MA-2), Lori Trahan (MA-3), Jake Auchincloss (MA-4), Seth Moulton (MA-6), Ayanna Presley (MA-7), Stephen Lynch (MA-8), and Bill Keating (MA-9) — in writing to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on the sudden termination of the federal staff responsible for administering the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and the impacts to Massachusetts families who depend on the program to stay safe, healthy, and housed.

Massachusetts has received more than 181,000 requests for heating assistance so far this fiscal year, with more than 110,000 households already served through March 31. First-time applicants have also surged: more than 27,000 Massachusetts households applied for LIHEAP for the first time this fiscal year, 8 percent more than last year at this point. More than 58 percent of households served so far include at least one elderly member, more than 33 percent include individuals with disabilities, more than 6,500 include a veteran or active-duty military member, and more than 11,500 include young children under age five. Critically, Massachusetts is still waiting on HHS to release the remaining estimated 10 percent of FY2025 LIHEAP funds.

In the letter the lawmakers write, “Over the past decade, Massachusetts energy prices have risen two to three times more than the national average. This winter alone, rate increases in Massachusetts hit families hard, with some energy bills doubling over the heating season. In Boston, residents face some of the highest heating costs among cities nationwide. This means that many Massachusetts families are struggling to pay their utility bills.”

The lawmakers continue, “Although LIHEAP is structured as a block grant administered primarily by states, federal staff provide essential technical assistance—from calculating the complicated allocation formula and distributing block grant funds, to guiding new state LIHEAP directors, reviewing and approving state plans, and monitoring state program implementation. This is not red tape, it is essential governance. Despite serving more than 5 million households nationwide, the entire federal LIHEAP team consisted of only 25 staff—an example of efficient, high-impact federal support.”

The lawmakers request answers by May 1, 2025, to questions that include:

  • How does HHS plan to preserve the continuity of LIHEAP operations nationwide?

  • How does HHS plan to ensure that states such as Massachusetts can timely access the remaining FY2025 LIHEAP funds appropriated by Congress?

  • With the termination of the LIHEAP staff, who within HHS is now responsible for the program’s operation?

  • Does HHS intend to restore the terminated positions or provide an equivalent staffing structure before the 2025–2026 heating season begins?

  • What measures will HHS implement to ensure communications with state program administrators on vendor enrollment, rule changes, and reporting compliance?

  • Has HHS consulted — formally or informally — with state LIHEAP administrators or community action agencies about these staff terminations, either before or after they occurred?

###