Federal firings raise uncertainty about utility bill assistance for low-income NYS residents
A LIPA smart electric meter installed at a Suffolk County home is seen in 2022. Credit: Newsday / John Paraskevas
The firing last week of the entire staff of a federal program that helps low-income residents pay soaring energy bills has advocates concerned about a looming crisis for those already struggling to avoid service terminations.
The Department of Health and Human Services in the past has sent upward of $4 billion to states to fund the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Figures from the state show that as of December there were 50,292 HEAP benefits authorized in Suffolk County valued at $13.2 million, and 14,929 benefits of $4.8 million in Nassau. New York gets about $360 million annually in HEAP funds.
But the program was thrown into uncertainty last week when the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency fired all staffers who administer the HEAP program, lawmakers in Washington said, with no discussion of how, or if, it will be funded in the future.
Emily G. Hilliard, a spokeswoman for Health and Human Services, said the agency "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."
But advocates of the program say the loss of critical staff could cripple the agency, and that they’ve received no clarity about remaining funds in the program since revelations about the staff cuts were publicized last week.
At the Public Utility Law Project of New York, which advocates for residents in utility cases, executive director Laurie Wheelock called the move a "devastating decision that puts millions of households across the country at risk."
"Any disruption in the administration of HEAP could have serious consequences for the million-plus eligible New Yorkers already struggling to keep up with rising utility bills," Wheelock said in an email.
Eligibility for HEAP programs in New York closed this week.
Bill Ferris, AARP’s legislative representative in New York, said the staff terminations came while about 10% of this year’s winter funding remained unspent. "How will that go out if there’s no staff there to allocate it?" he asked.
Longer term, Ferris said, delays or loss of the federal funding for utility bill assistance raises the possibility of increased arrears, which are already on the rise in the state, and service terminations.
"Arrears going up is an indication people already can’t pay their bills," said Ferris. "Our fear is we’ll see arrears go up and there will be more terminations."
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said loss of the program could have immediate impacts.
"By firing everyone who disburses LIHEAP funding, President Trump and the so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ are preventing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding that Congress has already allocated to LIHEAP from reaching families in need," Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said in a statement last week, adding that she would work to reverse the staffing cuts.
The firing last week of the entire staff of a federal program that helps low-income residents pay soaring energy bills has advocates concerned about a looming crisis for those already struggling to avoid service terminations.
The Department of Health and Human Services in the past has sent upward of $4 billion to states to fund the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Figures from the state show that as of December there were 50,292 HEAP benefits authorized in Suffolk County valued at $13.2 million, and 14,929 benefits of $4.8 million in Nassau. New York gets about $360 million annually in HEAP funds.
But the program was thrown into uncertainty last week when the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency fired all staffers who administer the HEAP program, lawmakers in Washington said, with no discussion of how, or if, it will be funded in the future.
Emily G. Hilliard, a spokeswoman for Health and Human Services, said the agency "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."
But advocates of the program say the loss of critical staff could cripple the agency, and that they’ve received no clarity about remaining funds in the program since revelations about the staff cuts were publicized last week.
At the Public Utility Law Project of New York, which advocates for residents in utility cases, executive director Laurie Wheelock called the move a "devastating decision that puts millions of households across the country at risk."
"Any disruption in the administration of HEAP could have serious consequences for the million-plus eligible New Yorkers already struggling to keep up with rising utility bills," Wheelock said in an email.
Eligibility for HEAP programs in New York closed this week.
Bill Ferris, AARP’s legislative representative in New York, said the staff terminations came while about 10% of this year’s winter funding remained unspent. "How will that go out if there’s no staff there to allocate it?" he asked.
Longer term, Ferris said, delays or loss of the federal funding for utility bill assistance raises the possibility of increased arrears, which are already on the rise in the state, and service terminations.
"Arrears going up is an indication people already can’t pay their bills," said Ferris. "Our fear is we’ll see arrears go up and there will be more terminations."
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said loss of the program could have immediate impacts.
"By firing everyone who disburses LIHEAP funding, President Trump and the so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ are preventing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding that Congress has already allocated to LIHEAP from reaching families in need," Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said in a statement last week, adding that she would work to reverse the staffing cuts.
Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.
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