BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 2 — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today announced that Vermont will receive more than $20.7 million in federal funding through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

“Being able to heat your home is a matter of life and death,” Sanders said. “LIHEAP is an essential lifeline for more than 20,000 Vermont households every year. In the richest country in the history of the world, nobody should be forced to choose between putting food on the table, paying for prescription drugs, or heating their homes in the winter.”

LIHEAP is a federal program that helps people afford their heating bills, light and weatherize their homes, and repair or replace furnaces and fuel tanks. Each year, the Vermont congressional delegation works to ensure this funding reaches Vermont as soon as it is signed into law so families are not left struggling to stay warm as temperatures drop.

Vermonters can apply for seasonal fuel assistance at https://dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/fuel or by calling 800-479-6151.

Vermonters who are low on fuel and cannot afford more should call their local Community Action Agency to ask about the crisis fuel assistance program. Contact information for Community Action Agencies can be found by visiting https://dcf.vermont.gov/contacts/partners/caps or calling 2-1-1.