The Senate Committee on Appropriations last week passed fiscal year 2025 appropriations bills for the Department of Energy and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Under the committee-approved bill, DOE’s non-defense related programs would receive $17.7 billion for FY 2025, $1.7 billion (10 percent) more than proposed under a bill approved by the House Committee on Appropriations earlier this month, though $600 million less than was requested by the President.
The bulk of the difference between the House and Senate committee bills is found in the budget for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
While the House proposes $2.7 billion for the office for 2025, it also proposes an $800 million rescission of prior year balances, bringing the total net appropriation for the office to $1.96 billion, compared to $3.44 billion approved by the Senate committee yesterday.
LIHEAP
The Labor Health and Human Services Appropriation bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee provides $4.125 billion for LIHEAP, a $100 million increase over the FY 2024 level.
The House Appropriations Committee version of the bill funds LIHEAP at the FY 2024 level.
In addition, the Senate Appropriations Committee report accompanying the bill notes that the “increased prevalence” of extreme weather events can cause dangerous health outcomes for at-risk individuals, especially low income families that struggle to pay for home energy costs.
As a result, the Senate Appropriations Committee is requesting a report, within 180 days of enactment of the bill, detailing how LIHEAP supports states experiencing extreme weather events.
The committee says this report should include information on how the Interagency Working Group on Extreme Heat is informing LIHEAP guidance to States, recommendations for making the LIHEAP formula more responsive to extreme weather events, and where available, each States’ share of the LIHEAP formula devoted to cooling versus heating assistance.
