11.07.23

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $176 Million to Help Illinois Families Save on Home Energy Bills

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $176,702,627 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help Illinoisans pay the rising cost of home heating bills this winter. This announcement includes funding appropriated for Fiscal Year 2024 from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Durbin and Duckworth both supported.

“In the face of increasing costs that are weighing down hardworking American families, the last thing they should have to worry about is how to pay their utility bills as we approach the colder months,” said Durbin. “By providing much-needed relief, LIHEAP will bring not only warmth, but a peace of mind to the countless Illinoisans who rely on it.”

“Illinois families shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not they can afford to pay the utility bills when temperatures dip below freezing,” said Duckworth. “I'm proud to join Senator Durbin in announcing this federal support to help more working families keep their heat on and pay their bills as we enter the winter season.”

Earlier this month, Durbin and Duckworth joined a group of 26 lawmakers, led by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), in sending a bipartisan letter calling on the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and HHS to take additional steps to reduce energy costs for Americans through LIHEAP.

Durbin and Duckworth have long been advocates of LIHEAP. In March, Durbin and Duckworth announced more than $51.8 million in federal funding from LIHEAP to support Illinoisans in paying the rising cost of home heating bills during winter. In Fiscal Year 2023, Illinois received nearly $260 million in LIHEAP funding. 

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