FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2025
Contact: Ashley Sullivan, ashley.sullivan@weact.org
WASHINGTON – This week, the Trump administration’s head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., illegally fired thousands of vital federal employees, including the entire staff overseeing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP is an urgently needed, bipartisan, federally-funded and state-implemented program that provides funds to help millions of people across the country struggling with increasing heating and cooling bills.
With summer approaching, people of color and low-income must brace for an alarming rise in extreme heat and unpredictable weather patterns driven by the climate crisis. Extreme heat is the deadliest form of unnatural weather in the U.S., and it kills more people each year than floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined. The rate is much higher in low-income communities and communities of color as these groups are the most susceptible to the impacts of climate change. In fact, in New York City, 50 percent of the heat-related deaths are among Black/African American people, even though they make up only 25 percent of the city’s population.
Removing LIHEAP staff puts 6.2 million people at risk nationwide – including more than 1.1 million households in New York State. Additionally, energy bills continue to climb year after year, putting an even greater strain on households. In New York State, for example, energy affordability has hit a crisis level, with 1.4 million New Yorkers struggling to pay their energy bills in 2024. This action by the administration to gut a vital energy relief program that has provided support for half a century creates an unprecedented challenge for our communities, and erodes decades of hard-earned progress.
A recent report by WE ACT for Environmental Justice and NRDC underscores that LIHEAP works, but is underfunded. In 2022, LIHEAP prevented energy service loss for 1.7 million homes, and restored service to almost 250,000 more. However, because of limited funding, the program runs out earlier each year due to overwhelming demand. Over the past three summers, New York State has run out of funds as early as July.
This mass firing also comes right as Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) and Representative Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) reintroduced the Heating and Cooling Relief Act this week to significantly expand and modernize LIHEAP. As shared by Sen. Markey and Rep. Ansari, the program needs more – not less – support as less than 20 percent of eligible households currently receive LIHEAP assistance, and low-income families spend three times more on energy bills. Now, with the entire staff that oversee this program fired, experts believe that the remaining millions in funds may not be distributed, putting immense financial strain on and increasing the deadly risks for our communities.
“Each year brings unprecedented extreme heat and severe weather events, marking a historic turning point in our climate. It is imperative that our government confronts this harsh reality and prioritizes the needs of all its people, particularly those living in overburdened communities,” said Yuwa Vosper, Federal Policy Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “The recent decision to terminate the staff of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program at HHS is especially detrimental as energy costs spike across the country. These terminations undermine a vital, underfunded, bipartisan program that provides essential support for millions. The LIHEAP program plays a crucial role in addressing financial strain and health risks low-income families face. Such an act of dismissal is a direct threat to the well-being of countless individuals across the U.S., many of whom will suffer from preventable heat exposure—especially among low-income communities and people of color.”
“In New York City alone, an average of 350 lives were lost annually due to heat-related issues from 2013 to 2022, highlighting the urgent need for reliable access to heating and cooling support. Access to these essential resources is not a privilege but an undeniable right. We are committed to taking all necessary actions to ensure that our communities in New York City and throughout the U.S. receive the protection and support they so desperately need,” said Caleb Smith, Resiliency Coordinator at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “We urge policymakers to reconsider any actions that jeopardize this vital program, which plays a pivotal role in ensuring energy stability and supporting the fight against climate change. It is imperative that we protect the advancements we have made and secure a livable future for all.”
# # #
WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan-based, membership-driven organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents are meaningfully included in the development of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, Twitter/X, and Instagram.