BUFFALO, N.Y. — Governor Kathy Hochul is calling on the Trump Administration to release federal heating assistance funds to the state now that the federal government has reopened. That $400 million helps people in New York pay their heating bills in the winter and year-round.

The money funds the Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP , which is used by families across the state to help pay their heating bills.

"This is a matter of life and death. I mean, people in Buffalo have lost their lives from the extreme cold," Hochul said.

At a press conference Monday morning, Governor Hochul called on the federal government to release HEAP money saying it will help one-point-five million people in New York.

Meanwhile, Republican Congressman Nick Langworthy released a statement saying, “Th

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