SENATOR MARKEY AND REP. BOWMAN INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO TRANSFORM LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Statement

Today, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) introduced the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, legislation to invest in and expand the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to universalize energy assistance for all of those who need it. Currently, it is estimated that only 16 percent of households eligible for LIHEAP are actually served.

"Access to life-saving heating and cooling is a basic human right that ensures our health and safety and should not be reserved only for those who can afford it," said Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.). "This winter, families should not have to choose between paying energy bills or suffering chills. I am grateful that Congressman Bowman and I are fighting to make sure that home energy funding--a critical lifeline for families throughout the country--will be available to all of those who need it. Our Heating and Cooling Relief Act would provide LIHEAP funding to millions more Americans and ensure that the program has all the support it needs to enhance outreach efforts and serve all eligible households. The bill also takes steps to reduce the energy burdens of LIHEAP recipients and cut down our fossil fuel use by increasing investments in weatherization. The Heating and Cooling Relief Act is the ambitious and comprehensive legislation we need to help ensure the health and safety of American families and support a just transition away from fossil fuel consumption."

"There is no reason why, in the richest nation on Earth, people in our communities should be forced to choose between staying warm in the winter or cool in the summer and being able to make rent or put food on the table," said Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16). "Senator Markey and I are working toward an America that respects our collective humanity and our Heating and Cooling Relief Act makes it so that every family can afford their energy bills. This is a racial and economic justice issue, with Black, Latino and Indigenous households all experiencing disproportionately high energy burdens. The lack of energy assistance is also a public health crisis, with high energy burdens associated with a greater risk for respiratory diseases and heat strokes. The fact is that no one, anywhere in this country, should have to resort to using their stoves or turning on space heaters because of exorbitantly high bills. This legislation is a bold approach to energy assistance that meets the moment by making energy assistance much more accessible to tens of millions more people and I am proud to have a partner in Senator Markey as we take on this fight."

"No person or family should ever go without adequate heat," said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). "This bill would ensure that low-income families never pay more than 3% of their annual income on energy costs, even in the coldest winter months. As New York continues facing extreme and potentially dangerous cold weather, we must ensure that every person has access to reliable, affordable, and sufficient heat to stay safe at home."

"No family should have to choose between paying their energy bills and putting food on the table during the cold winter months. LIHEAP is a lifeline for our communities. The Heating and Cooling Relief Act will expand LIHEAP access and will save families from housing and food insecurity as they cope with high energy bills. It will also increase funding for weatherization, promote renewable energy use, and aid with climate adaptation - all crucial to our work tackling the climate crisis," said Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).