Gillibrand Demands Swift Release of Heating Aid as Oil Prices Soar
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has called on the federal government to release allocated heating assistance funds for low-income residents in New York, citing rising crude oil prices and increasing energy costs.
New York's average heating oil price has surged to $6.14 per gallon, a 66% increase compared to this time last year, with crude oil recently climbing back to $100 per barrel.
Gillibrand sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging the prompt distribution of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding, which Congress appropriated earlier this month under a continuing resolution.
New York is set to receive approximately $360 million in LIHEAP funding, but Gillibrand warned that surging energy prices and early autumn temperatures risk forcing vulnerable households to choose between heating their homes and affording necessities like groceries or medical care.