U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, on Friday announced the allotment of $37.6 million in new federal funding for heating assistance for Mainers this winter.

The money, Pingree said in a statement, will go into the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program. 

"With Maine families facing another winter, this LIHEAP funding comes at a critical time,” Pingree said in the statement. “More than 45,000 Maine households – our neighbors, seniors, and tribal communities – rely on this assistance to keep warm and safe through the winter months. No one should ever have to choose between heating their home and putting food on the table or buying medicine.”

Pingree said the funding is part of a $3.7 billion allotment from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children & Families’ Office of Community Services. 

LIHEAP funding is used to offset heating and cooling costs, as well as weatherizing homes and coping with energy needs during extreme weather events and other disasters. Nationwide, about 6 million households use LIHEAP, which includes more than 45,000 households in Maine.