Future of federal heat and A/C bill assistance program in question after federal layoffs
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The future of a program that helps hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans pay their utility bills is in question after the federal employees overseeing it were laid off this week.The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has helped low-income Oklahomans for years, providing financial assistance to cover electricity and heating costs.
More than 180,000 Oklahoma households rely on it.
Over the years, some of the Oklahomans helped by the program have shared their struggles with News 4.
'In a pickle and just can't find anybody out there to help,' said Theodore Cline in 2023.
Oklahoma Forestry employees face uncertainty after Stitt calls for cutting department
'I honestly don't know what we're going to do,' said Karen White in 2014.
'Bill sometimes just higher and you need the extra help,' said Marilyn Rushings in 2012.
Now, that help could be gone.
This week, 10,000 federal employees at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were laid off.
That included all of the staff overseeing LIHEAP and its distribution of funds to states like Oklahoma.At the same time, energy costs in Oklahoma are rising.
OG&E announced in March that its customers' bills will be going up by about $13 per month.The loss of LIHEAP funding and rising energy bills have some state leaders worried that Oklahomans who depend on it may find themselves out of options.'My big concern is, are they looking at the consequences of those cuts?' said state Sen. Julia Kirt (D-Oklahoma City).Kirt said she is unsure whether the state is prepared to step in and replace the lost federal funds.'I think we have to look at what is impacting households in our state,' said Kirt. 'I know that working families are suffering from some of these cuts already, and I bet there's not a transition plan there.'Meanwhile, Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) told reporters Thursday the state has emergency funds available to help bridge any funding gaps that need to be filled, at least in the short term.'We now have four, maybe up to $5 billion in savings,' Paxton said. 'So we can use that for those areas where the federal government may be pulling back. And that's what the savings account is for. We can try to fill some gaps if we need to.'AARP Oklahoma is also raising concerns about what this means for older Oklahomans on fixed incomes.'HHS must ensure this critical assistance is delivered,' AARP Oklahoma's Director Sean Voskuhl told News 4. 'Given the significant health risk, it is vitally important that HHS ensures there are no disruptions to the program.'They also said utility companies should take action.'It is really important that PSO and OG&E understand the impact on their customers and step up and deliver real assistance for customers struggling with historic rate increases,' said Voskuhl.
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