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Healy urges swift release of federal heating funds as thousands face cold; state extends shutoff moratorium
Summary
Governor Healy on Saturday pressed the federal government to release LIHEAP funds immediately as tens of thousands of Massachusetts households face heating emergencies; the state has extended a moratorium on utility shutoffs through April 1 and is drawing on about $13 million in emergency funds while community agencies process roughly 13,000 HEAP applications.
Governor Healy urged the federal government to release federal heating assistance funds immediately, saying the delay leaves tens of thousands of Massachusetts families at risk this winter and prompting the state to use limited emergency funds and regulatory tools while it waits for federal allocations.
Healy said in prepared remarks that an estimated 26,000 families on the Cape and Islands, 24,000 in Western Massachusetts, 15,000 on the North Shore and 15,000 in Central Massachusetts are affected. “We made sure that we got those SNAP benefits processed and out the door as quickly as possible,” he said, adding that he had sent a letter to “Secretary Kennedy” seeking a rapid funding response. In a direct rebuke to the federal executive branch, he said: “I’m asking now for the president of The United States to…
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