LIHEAP is the federal program that helps low-income families, senior citizens and people with disabilities pay for home heating and cooling.
"This action by the President is good news for Iowans who continue to face cold temperatures and high heating bills. The long winter is taking a toll on the pocketbook of many Iowans and these funds will help keep them warm until spring," Grassley said.
Iowa has been hit by a colder than normal temperatures this winter. As a result, the Energy Information Administration recently projected expenditure increases for households of 28 percent for natural gas, 52 percent for heating oil, 24 percent for propane and about 10 percent for homes heated with electricity. As a result, over 56,000 Iowa households have qualified for assistance so far this winter.
Grassley is a longtime supporter of LIHEAP and worked to secure $1.8 billion in regular LIHEAP funds in the fiscal 2003 appropriations bill that was signed into law by President Bush on February 20.