Published October 13, 2026 at 7:48 AM EDT

Low-income Connecticut families could get more state aid to help with rising energy costs this winter.

The aid will come from the state’s special federal cuts mitigation fund, which lawmakers created last fall, according to Governor Ned Lamont.

“We created the Trump relief fund about $500 million in anticipation of things that are suddenly happening either out of the Big Beautiful Bill that cuts things or, in this case, the war in Iran, which is driving up the cost of home heating oil,” Lamont said.

The governor controls the fund. It has about $313 million, after about $187 million has been used for social investments, food assistance (SNAP) and health coverage.

“I’ll be asking legislative leadership to use some of that fund to give people a little bit of relief because the price of home heating could go up 70% or 80% this year,” he said.

The home heating relief would be channeled through local energy assistance programs across the state.