Crockett Announces $176,424,054 To Lower Energy Bills for Working- and Middle-Class Texans

WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) announced $3.7 billion in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds to help lower heating costs for American families this winter. $176,424,054 has been allocated for households in Texas, which can be distributed to low-income households to lower heating costs in winter months or cooling costs in summer months depending on need.

Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a new LIHEAP eligibility tool for American households. The new user-friendly LIHEAP eligibility tool allows households across the country to quickly identify if they might be eligible for LIHEAP assistance by inputting basic information like income and household size. Individuals interested in applying for energy assistance can also visit energyhelp.us or call the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) hotline toll-free at 866-674-6327.

“From suffocating heat to freezing cold, North Texans are on the front lines of climate change - and we feel the pain every time we pay our power bills. But for lower-income Texans, an unexpected energy price hike - made worse by the instability of the Texas power grid - often means the choice between keeping the A/C on or keeping food on the table. And between Texas' blazing summers and bitterly cold winters, that decision can quite literally mean life or death.

"This allocation of over $176 million in LIHEAP funding to the people of Texas will help low-income households pay home heating and cooling bills, prevent energy shutoffs, restore services,and weatherize homes to make them more energy efficient. For working class Texans living paycheck to paycheck, this assistance helps ease their financial burden and allows families to make investments in weatherization improvements that will lower future energy costs. A lot of folks on the other side of the aisle talk a big game about lowering energy costs - but the Biden Administration is actually doing it!"

The federal funding announced is a combination of regular appropriations by Congress, an additional $2.5 billion provided in the Continuing Resolution, as well as an additional $100 million supplement that was passed as part of the President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

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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.