On April 20, the remaining 10 percent (roughly $421 million) of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds were disbursed to states following multiple delays. As of now, all FY 2026 LIHEAP funds have been released by the federal government.
Details on the disbursement are available on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services.
On November 28, 2025, the HHS Administration for Children and Families released approximately $3.6 billion in regular block grant funding to states for LIHEAP implementation. This $3.6 billion was 90 percent of the $4.015 billion allocated for LIHEAP for FY 2026 in a continuing resolution that ended the prolonged government shutdown in November of last year.
FY 2026 HHS appropriations were signed into law in February and included an additional $20 million for LIHEAP.
By law, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had 30 days to release the $20 million and the remaining 10 percent of funds unless the agency requested an extension. OMB filed for multiple extensions, leading to weeks-long delays in the release of the final FY 2026 LIHEAP funds.
As previously reported, the administration has once again proposed eliminating funding for LIHEAP entirely in its FY 2027 budget request.
The president also proposed eliminating LIHEAP in the budget request for FY 2026, but Congress ultimately increased funding for the program over the previous fiscal year.
In recent comments made to Politico, House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) said he is opposed to eliminating LIHEAP.
