Massachusetts households that rely on heating oil could pay an average of $2,300 to stay warm this winter, and a bipartisan group of 113 members of Congress says the federal government needs to get emergency fuel aid out the door before that bill comes due. Reps. Lori Trahan and Chris Pappas led the effort, sending a letter demanding that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. distribute Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program funds to states no later than November 1.
The push comes as members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation call on the Trump administration to quickly release funds meant to help low-income residents heat their homes, according to the Eagle-Tribune. Trahan led Massachusetts lawmakers and state delegation members in the call for immediate release of LIHEAP funds, which help low-income households cover home-heating costs, per the Eagle-Tribune's reporting. The lawmakers point to a specific legal deadline: the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act for Fiscal Year 2027, according to a letter from the Office of U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, contains a statutory provision requiring HHS to release state LIHEAP grant allocations by that same November 1 date.
Why Heating Oil Customers Face a Different Kind of Crunch
The urgency stems from how heating oil delivery actually works. Unlike regulated electric and natural gas utilities, which are subject to seasonal shutoff moratoriums, home heating oil customers may have to pay upfront before fuel is delivered, the Office of U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas notes in the letter. Lawmakers estimated the average household bill at $2,300 for the winter season.
The letter from Trahan's office says households heating primarily with oil face steep winter costs. Lawmakers tie the pressure on heating-oil prices to global crude markets: crude oil prices surpassed $100 per barrel in April 2026 and spiked again on September 15, driving up retail heating-oil prices because it is refined directly from crude. The letter attributes the sustained pressure to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Massachusetts Is Especially Exposed
Fuel oil or kerosene is the primary heating source for about 20.2% of Massachusetts households, 29.2% of New England households and about 3.5% nationwide.
A Familiar Fight Over Federal Timing
This is not the first time Trahan has sounded this alarm. In November 2025, she co-led a coalition of 101 House lawmakers urging Secretary Kennedy to immediately release LIHEAP funding amid a federal spending dispute, according to the Office of U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz. The Eagle-Tribune reports that a federal government shutdown delayed LIHEAP funding last year, pushing disbursement until a week after lawmakers approved a temporary spending bill, with Democrats accusing the Trump administration of slow-walking the release of federal assistance.
A 2025 release from the Office of U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz said LIHEAP reached only about 17% of eligible households nationwide.
Who Qualifies and What Massachusetts Is Doing Now
Massachusetts households are eligible for LIHEAP assistance if their income falls at or below 60% of the state median income, per the Eagle-Tribune.
The state's Home Energy Assistance Program, run alongside local community action agencies, opened applications in September for the winter heating season that runs from November 1 through April 30, according to Boston 25 News. Payments under that program go directly to approved fuel vendors on behalf of income-eligible residents, the station reports.
