04-04-2025
WV officials reviewing impacts of federal utility assistance program layoffs
The Trump administration has reportedly cut the entire staff of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provided utility assistance or aid for repairs to approximately 50,000 households throughout the West Virginia last year. (Jim Still-Pepper | iStock via Getty Images)
West Virginia officials say they're reviewing the impacts of potential cuts to a federal program that helped thousands of state residents pay for heating and cooling last year.
The Trump administration, through the Department of Government Efficiency, has reportedly cut the entire staff of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Last year, the program provided utility assistance or aid for repairs to approximately 50,000 households throughout the state.
'The West Virginia Department of Human Services is aware of discussions regarding federal funding for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP),' Angel Hightower, a spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services, wrote in an email to West Virginia Watch. 'At this time, we are reviewing any potential impacts on the program and will provide updates as more information becomes available.'
LIEAP is the state's version of the federal program.
In fiscal year 2024, LIHEAP provided assistance to 45,270 West Virginia households, according to the state. In addition, 3,235 West Virginia households got help from Emergency LIHEAP, another 846 homes got assistance for heating system repairs and replacements, and 586 homes got weatherization services through the program.
Nationally, the program provided 5.9 million households with a total of $6.2 billion in funding in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The layoffs at LIHEAP were part of Health and Human Services' larger reduction in force of 10,000 employees that officials say will save taxpayers $1.8 billion per year.
The restructuring will 'streamline' functions of the department, consolidating 28 divisions into 15, including a new 'Administration for a Healthy America.' The department will prioritize ending chronic disease by focusing on 'safe, wholesome food, clean water and the elimination of environmental toxins,' the department said.
'We aren't just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,' HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement. 'This department will do more — a lot more — at a lower cost to the taxpayer.'
When asked about how the restructuring will affect LIHEAP, HHS press secretary Vianca N. Rodriguez Feliciano wrote in an email that 'HHS will continue to comply with [statutory] requirements, and as a result of the reorganization, will be better positioned to execute on Congress's statutory intent.'
She did not respond to a followup question asking for clarification.
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