The House Appropriations Committee on Sept. 10 concluded a markup of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
The legislation as approved by the committee would reject President Trump’s request to eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Instead, the legislation would provide a nominal $10 million increase – to $4.035 billion – in funding for the program in FY 2026.
The committee reported the legislation favorably to the full House by a party-line vote of 35-28.
The manager’s amendment included language that would encourage the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to address LIHEAP-related staffing levels, stating “the Committee encourages ACF to address any vacancies that may affect program operations or its ability to fulfill its statutory responsibility to provide home heating and cooling assistance to low-income households Nationwide.”
This is a positive sign for LIHEAP as all staff within HHS’ Division of Energy Assistance, which administers appropriated LIHEAP funds to states, were terminated by the administration in late July, APPA noted.
The vote follows the Senate Appropriations Committee approval in July of the FY 2026 Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (S. 2587), which would increase funding for LIHEAP by $20 million from FY 2025 levels, putting both House and Senate appropriators on record in support of the program.
