Why LIHEAP Is Essential for Pennsylvania Families
For families struggling in Pennsylvania, life could get even more difficult soon. Tariffs are already driving up consumer prices, and electrical prices are also going up. Now President Trump’s new budget aims to eliminate home energy assistance for families in need.
This comes just weeks after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the entire staff that manages the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP saves lives by keeping the lights and heat on for about 6 million families nationwide, including over 300,000 households in Pennsylvania. Last year, LIHEAP provided more than $334 million to help families in Pennsylvania – many of whom are elderly or disabled – to pay their home energy bills. We can’t afford to take that help away.
Even before the abrupt firing of LIHEAP staff in Washington, Pennsylvania had determined that it could not run its LIHEAP summer cooling program, leaving many low-income Pennsylvanians without air conditioning in the hottest months of the year. This is particularly concerning since summer heat waves are getting hotter and lasting longer.
LIHEAP saves lives in states where summer heat and winter cold can be deadly. If LIHEAP is eliminated, it will be extremely difficult for states to cover the needs of their most vulnerable families facing increasingly hot summers and cold winters.
Members of Congress, and the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) pushed back after LIHEAP staff were fired. A letter from 13 U.S. Senators and another signed by 90 U.S. House members – including Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, Mary Gay Scanlon, and Dwight Evans – demanded that the Trump administration reverse course on the firings and release current year funding that is so urgently needed.
After widespread pressure, Secretary Kennedy released those funds on May 1. Yet, the administration proposed eliminating LIHEAP funding in its budget for next year, and Secretary Kennedy made it clear that he’s willing to violate the Constitution by ignoring Congressional appropriations.
If LIHEAP is eliminated, it will bring real pain to hundreds of thousands of families. The average low-income household spends about 8.6% of family income on energy bills – almost three times the rate for non-low-income households. In fact, one out of six American families are currently behind on their home energy bills and the total amount these families owe their utilities is approximately $21 billion. That’s the highest level since 2021.
At a time when so many families are struggling to make ends meet – and tariffs are poised to drive prices even higher – it’s unconscionable to rip away the help that Congress has offered on a bipartisan basis.
Congress must stand up to this threat. They must preserve funding for LIHEAP, and Secretary Kennedy should immediately rehire the LIHEAP staff to support Pennsylvania families – and families across America – when they need it most.
