WASHINGTON – President Bush on Tuesday ordered the release of $150 million to a federal home heating aid program to help millions of low-income people pay their heating bills.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the money would provide “much-needed help for families struggling with rising heating costs.”

The president directed the Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the program, to release the funds, Fleischer said.

Some $200 million was released in January. “This new money, combined with emergency funds released in January, will help keep many Americans warm during this cold winter,” Fleischer said.

Across the country, some 4.6 million American households receive assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Earlier in the year, several lawmakers told the administration that half a million households could be left without heat if the White House didn’t restore roughly $300 million to the program.