SEN. NEEDLEMAN SUPPORTS $86 MILLION PLAN FOR LOW-INCOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE THIS WINTER

HARTFORD – State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex) on Wednesday voted to approve an $86.2 million plan to provide energy assistance to low-income Connecticut families this winter.

That plan, however, is contingent on Congress approving federal funds this fall for the program, known as LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program), because President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans eliminated all funding for LIHEAP in their 2025 federal budget.

LIHEAP is a federally funded program that is administered at the state level through local community action agencies, which advertise the program and process applications.

“Supporting LIHEAP means we’re supporting countless Connecticut families and providing them with aid as heating costs remain high,” said Sen. Needleman, who is Senate Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee.

The LIHEAP program helps about 94,300 Connecticut households every year, including 31,000 households with elderly members, 13,000 with disabilities, and 9,000 with children under the age of 6. It offers $355 to $705 in home heating oil, natural gas, and electricity heating assistance per household based on family size and income.

Home heating oil prices have increased 52% over the past year in Connecticut – from $3.17 per gallon in August 2025 to $4.83 per gallon today – following President Trump’s invasion of Iran on February 28, 2026.