WASHINGTON, D. C. – Attorney General Racine has joined with 35 other attorneys general and state consumer advocate agencies to urge members of Congress to preserve and expand funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) in the 2018 federal budget.
These programs help lower-income residents pay their utility bills and reduce their energy consumption. Although the programs only serve a fraction of eligible households, congressional funding for LIHEAP has fallen by more than a third since 2010. This decrease in funding has resulted in more than one million fewer households receiving critical energy assistance.
“Low-income District residents shouldn’t have to make the hard choice between putting food on the table for their families or keeping the heat or air conditioning on in dangerous weather,” said Attorney General Racine. “These programs help struggling families with essential utility costs and keep our residents safe -- and Congress should expand them rather than cutting them.”
Annual distributions of LIHEAP funds specifically prioritize seniors and families with small children. Seventy percent of recipient households have at least one member who is elderly or disabled, or include a child under the age of six. The attorneys general and advocates argue that without this vital assistance, many of these families would be faced with the impossible choice of opting between heating and cooling their homes and paying for other necessities, such as food and medications.
Likewise, WAP has served 7 million households over 40 years. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that WAP has helped low-income households reduce their total energy expenditures by 23 percent per year, allowing participating households to allocate scarce resources for other necessities.
The attorneys general and advocates note that anticipated funding for Fiscal Year 2017 does not come close to meeting the extraordinary need for either of these funds. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, only 19 percent of eligible households are expected to be served. The attorneys general urge Congress to restore and increase LIHEAP funding, so that fewer families are “left out in the cold.”
“LIHEAP and WAP funds have provided a critical lifeline to customers who struggle each month to pay for life’s necessities by assisting them to remain connected to essential utility services. We strongly urge you to oppose any measure that would reduce or eliminate funding for these critical programs, and instead increase these essential and cost-effective services,” the letter concluded.
In addition to Attorney General Racine, the letter, led by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, was also signed by attorneys general and advocates from the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington state, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
A copy of the letter is attached.