WASHINGTON —

Federal funding that millions of Americans use to help pay their heating bills in the winter is arriving weeks behind schedule due to disruptions from the government shutdown, which ended earlier this month.

The National Energy Assistance Directors Association announced Friday that $3.6 billion in funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has been released to states and tribes.

“This release of LIHEAP funding is essential and long overdue,” said Mark Wolfe, Executive Director of NEADA. “Families can finally begin receiving the support they need to keep the heat on as winter begins.”

Normally, states get this money at the beginning of November.

Next, the money goes to heating vendors. Wolfe said in an email that the timeline will vary by state, but

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