Sponsor
Catherine Marie Cortez Masto
Senator · D-NV
Senator · D-NV
The bill shifts $1 billion from a foreign-policy board to LIHEAP, delivering immediate energy bill relief and stronger program delivery for low-income households while reducing funding for diplomatic initiatives and raising budgetary and legal oversight trade-offs.
Low-income households across the U.S. will receive increased LIHEAP assistance (an additional $1 billion) to help pay heating and cooling bills.
State and local agencies that administer LIHEAP will get more resources to serve eligible families during FY2026, improving program delivery and access.
Taxpayers and domestic beneficiaries see federal spending reprioritized toward domestic energy assistance by redirecting funds that had been planned for a foreign-policy board.
The Board of Peace (and related diplomatic/peace initiatives) will lose access to the appropriated $1 billion, limiting its ability to operate or carry out planned activities.
Reallocating $1 billion may reduce or delay other planned programs or priorities that were funded in the original appropriations, shifting impacts onto other federal programs and their beneficiaries.
Using State/State Department appropriations for domestic LIHEAP assistance could create legal and administrative complications over appropriations purpose, oversight, and accountability.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Blocks appropriated funds from going to the Board of Peace and redirects $1 billion to HHS for LIHEAP, treated as FY2026 LIHEAP funding.
Official title: Provide funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Catherine Marie Cortez Masto · Last progress March 26, 2026
Prohibits the use of FY2025 or FY2026 appropriated funds to provide any funds to the Board of Peace created by Executive Order 14375, and redirects $1,000,000,000 from those same appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services to be used for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), treating the transfer as if appropriated for FY2026 under the LIHEAP statute. The measure simply blocks funding for a specific executive board and increases funding available for energy assistance to low-income households.