6 days ago
Over 1 million Pennsylvanians could be affected if LIHEAP ends under Trump's proposed budget, advocates warn
LIHEAP, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, has long helped Pennsylvanians keep their heat on during the coldest months of the year. But now it could be in jeopardy.
The Trump administration's proposed federal budget allocates zero dollars to LIHEAP, effectively ending the program.
LIHEAP helps hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians each year, whether it's paying utility bills or providing emergency services. If the program disappears, the consequences could go far beyond just losing heat on a freezing day.
With any delay, budget cut or complete elimination of the program, there could be devastating outcomes.
"This is a program that really helps ensure that the roughly 1.2 million low-income Pennsylvanians across the state are going to be able to keep the heat on through the winter," said Elizabeth Marx, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project.
The LIHEAP program provides cash grants, crisis assistance, emergency furnace repair and replacement, offering hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance every year. If the funding disappears, so do the services.
"Families may not be able to put as much food on the table. They will cut their medicine in half. We've had clients who are using only half of the oxygen that they should be using or cutting their pills in half," said Marx. "We'll see more folks with health issues, we'll see higher incidents of housing insecurity that comes as a result of utility insecurity."
Locally, organizations like the Holy Family Institute help thousands of people apply for LIHEAP assistance each year. Their services reach around 35,000 residents, many of them seniors on fixed incomes.
"The fixed-income seniors who can't forecast the weather, they can't be prepared for a cold snap or an extended heat wave that causes their utility bills, whether it's gas or electric, to go above and beyond maybe what they've budgeted," said Michael Sexauer, the president of Holy Family Institute.
The idea of the program ending, he says, is deeply concerning.
"If the program goes away, then you're forcing those individuals, whether they're single moms or elderly or on a fixed income or someone in between, you're forcing them to make a decision of what they actually do pay for," Sexauer said.
While smaller local programs exist, none can match the scale or reach of LIHEAP.
"Those that rely on propane, oil and wood to heat their home, and a couple thousand in Pennsylvania still heat with coal, and all of those heating sources, folks can get emergency assistance for, and that will go away," Marx said.
As of now, the proposed budget is still making its way through the federal government, with no clear indication whether it will pass or fail. In the meantime, officials urge residents who are struggling to never let bills go unpaid and to contact their utility companies or local agencies for help before it's too late.
