U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement on the Trump administration firing all the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) staff running the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which will render the program incapable of disbursing funding to New York and deprive low-income New Yorkers of energy assistance they rely on:
“LIHEAP is a commonsense, bipartisan program,” said Senator Gillibrand. “In the coldest and hottest months of the year, it lowers the cost of living and saves lives. By firing everyone who disburses LIHEAP funding, President Trump and the so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ are preventing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding that Congress has already allocated to LIHEAP from reaching families in need. President Trump is raising the cost of living, all to provide tax cuts for billionaires. I will be doing everything in my power to get President Trump to reverse these cuts and deliver financial assistance to New Yorkers who need it.”
LIHEAP helps tens of thousands of low-income households across the state afford their energy bills and make cost-effective repairs to their heating systems. During winter 2022-2023, the program helped 1.1 million New York households heat their homes.
Gillibrand has been a longstanding advocate of the program. Every year, she secures hundreds of millions in LIHEAP funding for New York. She also cosponsors legislation to expand LIHEAP and ensure that no household pays more than three percent of its annual income on energy costs.
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