Dallas City Wire

WASHINGTON – On April 27, Reps. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) and August Pfluger (TX-11) lead 11 fellow members of the Texas delegation in a bipartisan letter to the House Appropriations Committee calling for a greater allocation of funds from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to Texans and other Americans in warm-weather states. 

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides low-income home owners and renters assistance on paying their energy bills. Under existing budget language, the majority of LIHEAP funding flows to colder northern states with more generous energy assistance state-level programs. As a result, only 4% of eligible households in Texas currently receive LIHEAP funding - even as Texans continue to suffer from devastating freezes, heat waves, and resulting blackouts.

"The current allocation of LIHEAP funds reflects a pre-climate change world, neglecting the needs of Texans who face hotter summers, stronger storms, and freezing winters every year. Thanks to sky-high energy costs, low-income Texans are forced to make an impossible choice: go into debt to pay their energy bills during a snow storm or a heat wave, or go without, enduring extreme temperatures and risking their lives," said Rep. Crockett.

"For low-income Texans, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is a lifeline - but that lifeline doesn't do much good if only 4% of households who need it are able to access it. I'm sending this letter to my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee to ensure the allocation of this critical assistance program reflects the needs of Americans on the front lines of the climate crisis, and that very much includes my fellow Texans."

This letter can be viewed here, with letter text appearing below.

April 27, 2023

Dear Chairman Aderholt and Ranking Member DeLauro,

As you begin the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) appropriations process for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, we request you consider the heating and cooling needs of vulnerable families across the country in the allocation of funds through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

LIHEAP is America’s primary residential energy assistance program and prioritizes at-risk households with disabled individuals, preschool-aged children, and the elderly. Unfortunately, residents in our state and many others around the country have been shortchanged in the past by appropriations language that deviates from LIHEAP’s enabling statute. As a result, only four percent of eligible Texas households receive funds, well below the program’s 17 percent national average. For states with growing population, great need, and high energy burdens, an alarmingly small fraction of eligible households can be reached.

We appreciate the Subcommittee’s desire to balance the needs of vulnerable households nationwide. However, we want to ensure Texas energy customers receive their fair share of LIHEAP funds according to the program’s underlying law. We request that no less than 75 percent of any increase in LIHEAP funds in FY24 be allocated to the program’s “new” formula. This will enable Texas to make incremental progress towards serving a greater percentage of eligible Texas residents.

Thank you both for your interest in this issue. We look forward to continuing working with you to address this critical need.

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Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett represents portions of Dallas and Tarrant Counties, with the cities of Dallas, Grand Prairie, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Duncanville, Glenn Heights, Hutchins, Wilmer, Arlington, Ovilla, and Seagoville.

Original source can be found here.