Last year, Congress funded the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) at $5.1 billion. With that money, the program helped 8.6 million households, which received an average benefit of $456. This year, it's not clear how much money will be allocated, since there is a $1.8 billion gap between the House and Senate bills to fund the program.
Unless Congress returns the funding to last year's level, each state will have to decide if it wants to cut the number of people in the program or the average benefit, says Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association in Washington.
"Usually in the winter Congress adds money," says Mr. Wolfe. "The program has never been cut in the winter before."
