In light of record low temperatures and extreme weather slamming Upstate New York, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today on a conference call urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to immediately release over $35 million in funds from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that are currently being held back and will go to New York residents upon release. As of November 2013, HHS only obligated $316 million of the $351 million that is available for New York this winter from the FY13 appropriations. Secondly, Schumer urged his colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee to increase the LIHEAP funding above the FY 2013 levels in the Appropriations bill currently being negotiated, which will provide additional funding from January 15th through September 30th. LIHEAP protects Upstate New York’s low-income homeowners and senior citizens, and since 2011, funding has dramatically declined despite the steady increase in home heating costs and below-average winter temperatures. Schumer noted that as funding has declined, the number of eligible households has continued to exceed the available funding.
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