HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program

The entire staff of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was fired by the Trump administration, jeopardizing a program that helps the lowest-income Americans pay for heating and cooling.

As Brad Plumer reports in The New York Times, the program was created by Congress in 1981 and served roughly 6.2 million people with a staff of around 25. Congress had allocated $4.1 billion for fiscal year 2025, with about 90 percent distributed to states in October for heating costs. The remaining 10 percent won’t be released until the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decides how much to allocate to each state.

According to Plumer, “States also use the money to weatherize homes and provide emergency assistance to households at risk of being disconnected from their utility.” In some states like Mississippi, the program also funds items such as blankets, fans, space heaters, and portable air conditioners.

Excessive heat and cold hits poor households, who often live in older housing with worse insulation and weatherproofing, hardest. “While they might use less energy, a building using more power per square foot than it should can make the cost disproportionate,” notes Bonnie Bolden in an article for the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.