The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services fired all federal employees running a key energy assistance program for low-income families, raising concerns about access to funds as summer approaches.
Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill.
In short:
- HHS fired the entire federal staff managing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps poor families pay heating and cooling bills.
- About 15 people had staffed LIHEAP before the layoffs, which also included all federal workers overseeing Social Services Block Grants.
- The firings are part of a broader cut ordered by the Trump administration to reduce HHS staff by 20,000 employees, with officials citing a shift toward focusing on chronic disease prevention.
Key quote:
“My fear is that quietly in their homes, grandmothers will die this summer.”
— Katrina Metzler, executive director of the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition
Why this matters:
The quiet dismantling of federal oversight for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program threatens to sever a crucial support system for more than six million U.S. households that rely on it to keep the heat on in winter and the AC running in sweltering summer months. As climate change pushes temperatures to new extremes, LIHEAP has become more than a seasonal subsidy — it's a public health safeguard, especially for elderly residents, medically vulnerable individuals, and families with young children. But with federal staff eliminated, states could face bureaucratic bottlenecks just as need spikes, leaving people in the lurch.
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