Maryland Delegation Announces More Than $74 Million in Energy Assistance for Low-Income Families

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) announced $74,410,147 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funding for Maryland’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

The federal dollars, made possible in part by the lawmakers’ efforts to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will help reduce costs associated with home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization and energy-related repairs for low-income families to cool and heat their homes.

“Access to heat is a health and safety issue. With colder months approaching, these federal funds arrive at a critical time and will help ensure that Maryland families can stay safe and warm this winter,” said the lawmakers.

This year, Maryland’s LIHEAP received a boost of more than $1.8 million from the lawmakers’ passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provided $100 million to support homeowners in need nationwide for fiscal year 2024. The remainder of the funds were provided by the LIHEAP block grant program authorized by annual appropriations legislation and administered through the Office of Community Services (OCS) at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the HHS. The lawmakers also have consistently worked to secure funding for this program through the appropriations process.