Congressman Cleaver Joins 115 House Members to Request Increased Home Heating Assistance Funding

(Washington, D.C.) – This week, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) joined 115 House lawmakers to request increased funding, totaling $1.6 billion, for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

“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. “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—both of which Congressman Cleaver supported. Despite the significant federal investment, LIHEAP continues to be underfunded, with just 20 percent of eligible households currently receiving assistance through the program.

Missouri was recently awarded a total of $78,456,379 in LIHEAP funding for this winter, including $76,273,776 in formula funding and an additional $2,182,603 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. To assist households seeking to determine their eligibility for LIHEAP funding, HHS recently released a tool in English, Spanish, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese for households to quickly determine their eligibility.

The official letter from Rep. Cleaver and other lawmakers is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.