White House Allocates Funds for Poor to Pay Heating Bills
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced details Friday for how it will fund energy costs for low-income persons this winter as a cold wave swept over the nation.
A White House statement described increased funding under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program as another victory for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that President Joe Biden signed into law last March.
Before Congress narrowly approved it along party lines, Republicans cited the plan as being too expensive and an example of government spending that provides little return on investment.
White House press spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre defended the plan during a press briefing Friday when she said, “We’ve seen how the economy has bounced back.”
Last year, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program more than doubled spending for home heating to $8 billion. About $4.5 billion is coming from the American Rescue Plan.
The funding is the largest single-year appropriation for home energy expenses since the program was established in 1981, Jean-Pierre said.
“These resources are already allowing states across the country to provide more home energy relief to low income Americans than ever before,” a White House statement said.
A state-by-state breakdown shows that most of the money will go to cold weather states.
Minnesota will get $274 million in supplemental funds for low-income residents. New York will get $876 million.
By comparison, Texas — which has a population with 9 million more residents than New York — will get only an additional $10 million for home heating.
Jean-Pierre said the Biden administration won agreements Friday from seven major utilities to avoid shutting off the heat or electricity for customers seeking federal or state aid. The utilities also agreed to identify customers who need government assistance and to notify them if they are eligible.
The seven utilities who made the new commitments join seven others that reached the same agreement with the federal government in November.
Tom can be reached at tom@thewellnews.com
In The News
Health
Voting
In The News
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In Florida, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bevy of new legislation that will, if passed, restrict certain... Read More
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In Florida, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bevy of new legislation that will, if passed, restrict certain health educational materials used in state schools. One such bill, House Bill 1069, would limit children below sixth grade from discussing their menstrual cycles in school. ... Read More
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — It almost seems here in Washington that the debate over energy, over the future of fossil... Read More
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — It almost seems here in Washington that the debate over energy, over the future of fossil fuels versus renewables, never changes. Most everyone these days will advocate for an “all of the above” solution to meet the nation’s future energy needs and... Read More
WASHINGTON — A bill introduced in the Senate last week would require the Supreme Court to televise its hearings. Senators... Read More
WASHINGTON — A bill introduced in the Senate last week would require the Supreme Court to televise its hearings. Senators who introduced the bill said it would help to ensure transparency and better public understanding of how the court operates. “Rulings made by justices in our... Read More
RAVENSWOOD, W. Va. — Like a lot of communities in America’s heartland, Jackson County, West Virginia, was built on natural... Read More
RAVENSWOOD, W. Va. — Like a lot of communities in America’s heartland, Jackson County, West Virginia, was built on natural resources. Timber and energy wrought from the ground helped sustain and grow its population, and the arrival of manufacturing in the mid-1950s — in the guise... Read More
WASHINGTON — The chief executive of social media app and website TikTok endured five hours of withering accusations in Congress... Read More
WASHINGTON — The chief executive of social media app and website TikTok endured five hours of withering accusations in Congress Thursday that his company acted as the alter ego of the Chinese government and failed to protect children from harmful video content. Several times the lawmakers... Read More
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — It’s not a conference so much as a dream factory that’s transpiring through Friday on the... Read More
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — It’s not a conference so much as a dream factory that’s transpiring through Friday on the shores of the Potomac River. Now in its 13th year, the ARPA-E Innovation Summit is a three-day program of lectures, networking events and exhibition hall displays... Read More