Money for Maine families struggling to afford to heat their homes has now been restored.
Sen. Susan Collins says the federal government agreed on Monday to release more than $4 million for the LIHEAP, or the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
There will be $4.4 million of federal funding allocated to the program in Maine over the next month.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps families and seniors on fixed incomes pay their energy and heating bills.
The Trump administration was threatening to pull the funding as part of its budget overhaul.
But Collins and other senators urged the White House Office of Management and Budget to keep the program and release the remaining LIHEAP funds that Congress already approved for this year.
“We worked this year to make sure that the administration was not successful in eliminating the program,” Collins said.
Around $38 million LIHEAP funds were distributed to Maine households this past winter.
Collins said that thousands of Maine families rely on the program, especially as costs continue to rise.
“About 45,000 households in Maine qualify for this program and that’s probably gone up a little bit because of higher costs and a colder winter,” Collins said.
But she said the fight over this long standing program is far from over.
“We just got the Trump administration’s new budget and it once again proposes that this vital program be eliminated. I will oppose that,” Collins said.
Eligibility for the program is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources.
Applications can be found on MaineHousing’s website here and will be open through May 29 or until program funding runs out.
