Billions in heating aid for Americans at risk due to shutdown [View all]
Source: Reuters
October 29, 2025 12:57 PM EDT Updated 4 hours ago
WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Millions of poor and disadvantaged Americans could face trouble accessing funds for home heating starting next month due to the government shutdown, lawmakers from both parties and nonprofit groups said on Wednesday.
The shutdown, now in its 29th day, could prevent states from receiving about $3.6 billion under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The funds help families pay winter heating and summer cooling bills, with about 80% used in the winter months.
States typically receive their allocations in late October or November, and the funds are distributed to households in November and December.
U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, called on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to ensure uninterrupted LIHEAP funding during the shutdown. "No household should have to choose between keeping their homes at safe temperatures, basic healthcare, or having food on the table," Fitzpatrick said in a letter to Kennedy.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/billions-heating-aid-americans-risk-due-shutdown-2025-10-29/
He and Massie were the only 2 GOP "nay" votes on the Barbaric Bullshit Bill but we STILL desperately need to flip that seat (PA-1) because he has shoved most of the other MAGat crap through.