The Trump administration is laying into Gov. Maura Healey after she called for the feds to release Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding as cold weather begins to settle in New England.

Healey held a press conference Thursday, calling on President Donald Trump to “do his damn job” and release the heating assistance funds immediately.

She also sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought, urging the administration to release the highest allowable amount of LIHEAP funding authorized under the Continuing Resolution (H.R. 5371).

“The Massachusetts Governor continues to blame the Trump Administration for the delay, rather than acknowledging responsibility within her own party, which held the government hostage during the longest shutdown in American history,” HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon told the Herald in a statement.

“Despite these setbacks, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is moving swiftly to distribute annual awards and restore essential services that were stalled when the Democrat-led shutdown obstructed the Department’s ability to serve the nation’s most vulnerable families,” he said.

Under the Continuing Resolution, Congress appropriated $4.025 billion for LIHEAP. The Office of Community Services (OCS) – which falls under the ACF umbrella – said it plans to use the special authority to release a total of $3.7 billion in LIHEAP funds, including $3.6 billion of FY26 regular block grant funding, plus an additional $100 million of the final supplemental funding available under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Appropriations Act.

HHS says it anticipates the funding release will occur by the end of this month.

During her press conference, Healey blasted Trump for showing what she calls “a complete disregard for the wellbeing of Americans, including Bay Staters, by the actions they continue to take.”

“We have cold temperatures coming next week and the week after. We have a polar vortex expected to be upon us soon here in Massachusetts and New England, and it is unacceptable to me that Massachusetts families and residents are going to go without heating assistance that they are due from the federal government,” Healey said during the press conference. “So, my message to Donald Trump is get that money out the door and get it out today.”

Healey’s letter also asked Kennedy and Vought to ensure the program is fully staffed and operational so states can avoid delays in implementing assistance plans, and to provide clear guidance and coordination to the states on timelines, eligibility, and disbursement mechanisms.

Healey’s Thursday press conference came just one day after a new report, released by the Fiscal Alliance Foundation and reported on by the Herald, that found state climate policies and mandates are the primary driver behind soaring energy costs in Massachusetts. The governor said she “disagrees” with the report’s findings.

The governor’s words also come one day after she deflected blame for increased energy costs relative to her stoppage of two natural gas pipelines as attorney general. She even went on to deny ever stopping the pipelines, despite bragging about it while on WBUR during her 2022 campaign.

The Herald has reached out to Healey’s office for comment.