April 24, 2026
FROM SEN GILILBRAND’S OFFICE: U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has successfully pushed the Trump administration to release over $400 million to help New York families afford their energy bills. The announcement comes as relief for working families across New York and the country who are facing sticker shock from their eye-popping gas and utility bills. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, roughly 1 out of 6 U.S. households (21.5 million nationwide) are behind on their energy bills in 2026. Earlier this month, Senator Gillibrand and a bipartisan group of senators demanded that the Trump administration release over $400 million in remaining Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding that Congress delivered in fiscal year (FY) 2026. Following this pressure from Senator Gillibrand, New York will receive an additional $40,356,315 in LIHEAP funds to go along with the more than $360 million in federal funding that the state previously received. As a result, New York will net a total of $401.2 million in LIHEAP aid this year to help New Yorkers afford their home utility bills. This means a $20 million increase over the previous year.
“LIHEAP is a commonsense, bipartisan program,” said Senator Gillibrand. “In the coldest and hottest months of the year, it lowers the cost of living and saves lives. President Trump is already causing fuel and gas prices to skyrocket due to his reckless choice to start a war in Iran. He continued to make life harder for working Americans by stalling hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding that Congress already allocated to LIHEAP from reaching families in need. Finally releasing these funds is a welcome step, and I will continue pushing back on the administration’s recent budget proposal that eliminates LIHEAP in order to fund an unauthorized war of choice.”
