Latest news with #Low-IncomeHomeEnergyAssistanceProgram
Scientific American
a day ago
- Politics
- Scientific American
Lawmakers Form First Extreme Heat Caucus, Citing ‘Deadly Risk'
CLIMATEWIRE | An Arizona Democrat and a New York Republican are teaming up to form the Congressional Extreme Heat Caucus in an attempt to find bipartisan solutions for deadly temperatures. 'We hope this caucus can make sure the United States is better prepared for the inevitable increase in temperatures, not just in Arizona and the Southwest but all across the country,' Arizona Rep. Greg Stanton (D) said in an interview. He's creating the caucus with New York Rep. Mike Lawler, a moderate Republican who bucked his party last year by expressing support for the nation's first proposed regulation to protect workers from heat by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. 'Extreme heat kills more Americans each year than any other weather event — over 1,300 lives lost, including 570 in New York alone — and it's a growing threat to the Hudson Valley,' Lawler said in a statement. 'That's why I'm co-chairing the Heat Caucus to drive real solutions, raise awareness, and protect our communities from this deadly risk.' Stanton said he was excited to team up with Lawler, who understands that heat jeopardizes health even in northern climates. 'He is from New York and I'm proud he recognizes how heat is important for workers,' he said. The caucus will be open to House lawmakers who have bipartisan ideas for addressing extreme heat. Noting that many Republicans have slammed OSHA's proposed heat rule, Stanton said the caucus doesn't have to find consensus on every policy, but members should be willing to search for common ground. "It is important to have that conversation on what we can come together and agree on because that's how we get legislation passed in this town, even if we don't agree on how far to go," he said. Lawler and Stanton teamed up earlier this spring to protest workforce reductions at the Department of Health and Human Services that could degrade heat-related programs. In April, the pair wrote a letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., protesting layoffs that purged the entire staff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice as well as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps families pay for heating and cooling. 'As we head into another summer — with projections suggesting 2025 will rank again among the warmest years on record, we cannot afford to limit our ability to counter the impacts of extreme heat,' they wrote in April with nine other lawmakers. Among the caucus' priorities is making LIHEAP funding more evenly distributed to southern states to help pay for cooling assistance. The program was initially created to help low-income families pay their heating bills during winter, and the majority of its funding still goes toward cold-weather states. 'We have had too many deaths of people in their homes because they are unable to access programs that would help them access air conditioning,' Stanton said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UETHDA's energy assistance outreach RV to visit area locations
KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency's (UETHDA) energy assistance outreach RV will travel to locations across the region in June to help those who may need assistance paying their energy bills. The agency offers assistance through the federally funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides energy assistance to approximately 6.7 million households nationwide. Bristol Life Saving Crew warns of impending possible closure To be fair and in accordance with Tennessee Human Development Agency guidelines, UETHDA utilizes a priority point system to allocate its limited funds. Priority is given to the low-income, energy-burdened, disabled, elderly, homes with children under 6 years old, veterans, and large households. Due to the limited funds, some who qualify for assistance may not receive enough points to be funded. Payments, which can take 90 days or longer to be applied, are sent directly to the recipient's utility company. The UETHDA's LIHEAP outreach RV will be at the following locations in June: Holston Electric-Church Hill (219 S Central Ave, Church Hill) 6/2/2025 9:00a-3:00p SH/Embreeville Cove (730 Bumpus Cove Rd, Erwin) 6/3/2025 9:45a SH/VFW Post 9724 Teleford/Jonesborough (2463 Hwy 11 E, Teleford) 6/3/2025 1:30p Priceless (3006 North J B Dennis, Kingsport) 6/4/2025 9:00a-3:00p Hope Helps (4540 W Stone Dr, Kingsport) 6/5/2025 9:00a-3:00p Habitat for Humanity (3201 Kimberly Ct, Johnson City) 6/6/2025 10:00a-3:00p Brightridge (2600 Boones Creek Rd, Johnson City) 6/9/2025 9:00a-3:00p Good Samaritan-Piney Flats (331 Industrial Park, Piney Flats) 6/10/2025 9:00a-3:00p Mtn Electric-Roan Mtn (8477 US-19E, Roan Mountain) 6/11/2025 9:00a-3:00p AMFS/River of Life (819 Austin Springs Rd, Piney Flats) 6/12/2025 7:00a SH/Buffalo Valley Church (111 Buffalo Valley Church Rd, Johnson City) 6/16/2025 9:30a SH/Unicoi Methodist (702 Virginia St, Unicoi) 6/16/2025 10:30a SH/East Pine Grove UMC (2215 East Unaka Ave, Johnson City) 6/16/2025 1:30p Habitat for Humanity (750 East Main St, Kingsport) 6/17/2025 9:00a-3:00p SH/Community Fellowship (430 E 4th Ave, Watauga) 6/23/2025 9:30a SH/New Vision COG (1109 Division St, Johnson City) 6/23/2025 12:30p Church Hill Medical Mission Clinic (401 Richmond St, Church Hill) 6/24/2025 1:00p-7:00p Shepards Center (306 E Main St, Rogersville) 6/25/2025 9:00a-1:00p Higher Ground Church (1625 Lynn Garden Dr, Kingsport) 6/26/2025 8:30a-3:30p Good Samaritan-Johnson City (100 N Roan St, Johnson City) 6/27/2025 9:00a-3:00p Salvation Army (200 Ashe St, Johnson City) 6/30/2025 9:00a-3:00p Those interested in the program may also visit one of the agency's nine neighborhood service centers or call 423-246-6180 for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump plan to zero out energy assistance would be a deadly blow to Eastern Kentucky
Installing insulation to weatherize homes, which saves energy and lowers costs, is part of what the Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) does. In fiscal year 2023, the program weatherized more than 60,000 homes nationwide, averting power disconnections. (Mountain Association photo) By any measure, the economy of Eastern Kentucky and the wider Appalachian region is struggling. The collapse of the coal industry, the opioid crisis and the recurring natural disasters have left scars that are slow to heal. Families and individual households trying to make ends meet rely on an array of federal assistance. Recently, there have been cuts or threats to these assistance programs, including a proposed total elimination of a vital energy assistance program that supports 6 million low-income households each year across the country. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is zeroed out in the proposed federal budget for the fiscal year that begins in September 2025. LIHEAP provides life-saving aid to millions of Americans by helping them afford their heating and cooling bills. For many, it is the difference between choosing food or heat, medicine or air conditioning. In 2024 alone, the program was utilized more than 219,000 times by Kentucky households. These are small disbursements — a max of $250 per season — that function as safety nets for working families, elderly residents and people with disabilities who are trying to survive on limited incomes in one of the most energy-burdened regions in the country. Despite this need, the Trump administration's 2026 budget proposes defunding LIHEAP entirely. Their reasoning is that lower energy prices are on the horizon thanks to a move toward American energy dominance and the America First platform. But here in Kentucky, the future hasn't arrived yet. Energy bills are still going up, not down. In some Eastern Kentucky counties, low-income families pay up to 14.5% of their income on utility bills — more than double the 6% threshold that experts define as a 'high' energy burden. Rural residents, especially those living in older, less energy-efficient homes, feel this pain the most. Rural areas often pay disproportionately high electricity costs due to utilities charging higher rates, in part due to infrastructure costs utilities incur covering more miles of transmission lines, etc., and in part due to utilities being owned by investors who are guaranteed a certain rate of return on their investment. And while some cities have access to local programs that might soften the blow of high bills, rural communities often don't. That's where LIHEAP comes in. It funds weatherization improvements that make homes more efficient — reducing future energy costs and minimizing the need for repeated emergency assistance. In fiscal year 2023, the program weatherized more than 60,000 homes nationwide and helped prevent countless power disconnections. The federal government allocated approximately $54 million in LIHEAP funds to Kentucky in fiscal year 2025. To access these funds, individuals must meet certain requirements and provide documentation showing their need for assistance. These requirements are designed to support Kentucky's most vulnerable residents and some examples include households where someone has a health condition or disability (verified by a doctor's note), someone is 65 or older, or a child under the age of 6 is present. This money is especially important during the extreme summer and winter temperatures Kentucky experiences. Kentucky is one of just 10 states where utility shutoffs due to nonpayment are allowed even during dangerous weather events. Sometimes families are cut off because they owe as little as $6. Cutting LIHEAP cannot just be a budget decision — this is an issue that needs to consider the survival of our most vulnerable neighbors. Because it's so critical, the program is housed under the Department of Health and Human Services and has received bipartisan support for nearly 45 years. The Trump administration recently acknowledged that Appalachia is at a disadvantage due to loss of coal jobs and the opioid crisis, and because of that, it was leaving funding for another program in the budget that benefits this area. We argue that many low-income communities across the country face similar systemic challenges that have them needing a little extra help to stay and revitalize these areas of the United States. If you have an experience to share about how LIHEAP has impacted you or your community in a time of need, now is the time to share your story. Chris Woolery is the Energy Projects Coordinator at Mountain Association. Over his career, Chris has helped deliver residential energy efficiency upgrades to more than 800 households. He can be reached at chris@
E&E News
15-05-2025
- Health
- E&E News
RFK recalls being told ‘people will die' without LIHEAP
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday that slashing programs aimed at helping low-income people pay for heating and cooling would be negated by the president's efforts to expand fossil fuel electricity — even as he acknowledged that the program saves lives. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides support to about 6 million people by helping them pay for utility bills to keep their homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The Trump administration has proposed zeroing out funding for LIHEAP for fiscal 2026 and has also placed the program's entire staff on administrative leave. The staff will be fired in June as part of a departmentwide restructuring effort by Kennedy. They have been on leave since April. When asked about the cuts during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing Wednesday, Kennedy said he had recently returned from a trip to the Navajo Nation where leaders had told him 'cuts to LIHEAP will end up killing people.' Advertisement 'So, I understand the implications of this,' Kennedy said. 'I think the rationale was that President Trump's energy policy is going to reduce drastically the cost of energy in this country and if that happens, then LIHEAP is just another subsidy to the oil industry.'
Boston Globe
14-05-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
‘We made a couple of mistakes': RFK Jr. faces bipartisan scrutiny in first Senate hearing as health secretary
'I don't know enough about that program,' replied Kennedy. But, he suggested, it might have been folded into another office during the sweeping reorganization project he has executed. Kennedy couldn't talk about that reorganization, he said, due to an ongoing legal challenge, and promised to work with Collins on her 'line item.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Similar inconclusive exchanges played out when senators of both parties asked Kennedy about spending and staff cuts to other initiatives, including lead poisoning prevention efforts, a well-known program to prevent infant sleep deaths, heating assistance to the poor, the agency that oversees workplace safety, and clinical cancer trials at the National Institutes of Health. Advertisement Over and over Kennedy replied he wasn't aware of the specifics of the massive changes under his watch. At other moments, he downplayed some concerns, or outright insisted certain things didn't happen — such as claiming that 'no working scientist' in the federal government had been fired by the Trump administration. (Many scientists have testified they have been fired.) Advertisement Only a few times did Kennedy acknowledge the fallout, as when Senator Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, 'We made a couple of mistakes,' Kennedy said, 'and that was one.' Though Kennedy was Kennedy has dutifully taken up President Trump and Elon Musk's unprecedented government-slashing effort to upend a federal health system he has long antagonized as misguided and ineffective. The result has been the The Senate health committee had first invited Kennedy to testify on April 10, but he declined. So when he did appear in that committee's chamber on Wednesday, and before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations panel earlier in the day, the urgency was palpable from members — and not just among Democrats. Senator Bill Cassidy, Advertisement When Cassidy asked Kennedy how he intended for federal health agencies to do more with less while competing with rivals such as China, the secretary replied, 'The Chinese are not spending a lot of money on DEI.' After Collins pressed Kennedy on the Alzheimer's program, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska conveyed her concern about cuts to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which helps low-income people pay to heat and cool their homes — a critical resource in Murkowski's frigid home state. The pressure on one of the most controversial aspects of Kennedy's tenure — vaccines — came almost exclusively from Democrats. Long known for raising fears about vaccines and linking them to conditions such as autism, Kennedy promised senators he would do nothing as secretary to limit public access to vaccines or interfere with congressionally appropriated funding for vaccine programs. But he has sent mixed signals so far amid the most serious measles outbreak the country has seen in years, currently unfolding in Texas. Kennedy has recommended vaccination as the best protection against measles, but he has also downplayed the effectiveness of the vaccine, claimed it causes deaths, and suggested that getting measles itself would provide better immunity. Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, tried to underscore the confusion Kennedy's remarks have generated. 'I want you to acknowledge when you say you support the measles vaccines and go out and undermine the vaccine. . . . That is not supporting the vaccine,' he said. Advertisement Noting the promises Kennedy made to senators during the confirmation process, Murphy said, 'If I were the chairman, and believed what you said about supporting vaccines, my head would be exploding.' Kennedy grew frustrated with Murphy, interrupting him to ask him to repeat claims and, at one point, scoffing, 'You don't know what you're talking about.' Cassidy was absent for the exchange, and he did not interject to counter Kennedy's claims on vaccines, except once, to correct a statement by Kennedy about the thoroughness of vaccine testing. While Kennedy skeptics may have been eager for a chance to question him, some were disappointed by the results of a hearing that saw contentious and sometimes personal exchanges between the secretary and lawmakers. Before Kennedy's appearance, Senator Ed Markey, of Malden, printed red booklets filled with constituent fears and anxieties over Kennedy's leadership, dubbing it the 'Make America Sick Again' agenda. 'He keeps denying the reality of the harm which has already been caused by the cuts, which he and Donald Trump support,' Markey told the Globe during a break in the hearing. Though he downplayed some staff and spending cuts — and came close to apologizing for others — Kennedy ultimately validated the mission that Trump and Musk say they are trying to accomplish by slashing the size of government. Federal budget deficits, Kennedy said, would threaten the country's ability to improve the health care system going forward. 'We intend to do a lot more,' he said, 'with a lot less.' Advertisement Sam Brodey can be reached at
