"Millions of Americans apply each winter for help with their energy bills. Now the funding is in limbo."
"As temperatures fell below freezing in northern Maine on recent nights, Caroline McNinch kept an eye on her heating oil tank. The 93-year-old lives alone in a tiny town pressed up against the Canadian border and relies on her monthly Social Security payment and federal food benefits to make ends meet. Each winter, she also gets some help with her heating bills.
By this week, there was only a quarter-tank of fuel left. But when she called the social services agency that usually assists her, she heard something unexpected. There was no federal money to help with heating costs.
McNinch is one of millions of Americans now confronting a lesser-known consequence of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Among the funding currently on hold is a $4 billion program that helps nearly 6 million low-income households across the country with their energy bills, mostly by reducing winter heating costs."
Joanna Slater reports for the Washington Post November 5, 2025.
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