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ACT NOW: Write a letter to the editor or contact your representative and tell them to save LIHEAP funding to protect people.
High electricity prices are going to get even higher according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the impacts could be dire for households that may have trouble paying their bills. One of the main culprits for the increases: the rising cost of “natural” gas which generates the majority of the nation’s electric power. And if Republicans pass the “big, beautiful” bill, prices will get even less affordable.
Investments in clean, renewable energy — like solar and wind generation — were just starting to grow to scale and have the potential to make electricity much more affordable and resilient. But the Trump administration declared a sham “energy emergency” to block the buildout of these abundant, domestic resources in order to prop up the fossil fuel industry.
On top of gutting the clean power industry, which creates good American jobs, Trump is rolling back Congressionally-mandated energy efficiency standards & slashing programs like ENERGY STAR that save energy and lower utility bills.
The ability of a household to pay its energy bill can be a matter of life or death. As climate change leads to more frequent, more extreme weather events, access to heating and cooling is more important than ever, even in places that have not historically needed it.
In the face of increasingly severe summer temperatures, fewer people are able to afford their bills, forcing them to make impossible decisions about whether to put food on the table or run the air conditioner. At least half of heat-related deaths happen in a person’s home.
A household’s energy burden is the percentage of income spent on utility bills. Generally, a household energy burden over 6% is considered unaffordable and over 10% is considered severe. According to research from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a quarter of low-income households in the United States spend more than 15% of their income on energy bills.
One recent, tragic heat-related death in Arizona has been in the spotlight thanks to the cruel response from one utility regulator. Arizona Corporation Commission Vice Chair Nick Myers publicly blamed the deceased and her family after the woman’s power was cut off during a heat wave for lack of payment.
In reaction, a Sierra Club organizer in Arizona, Ylenia Aguilar, wrote in the Arizona Capitol Times that it is the duty of utilities and regulators to ensure access to “reliable and affordable power.” As Aguilar noted, “it’s not just about paying bills — it’s about protecting lives.”
“Blaming families for not reaching out to take advantage of programs [to help with utility bills] fails to address the broader issue: These programs are often complicated and inaccessible to those who need them most,” Aguilar said. “Additionally, not everyone qualifies for assistance, and many don’t have the means to keep up with rising utility costs. It’s crucial that utilities maintain power, particularly during extreme conditions, and that they be held accountable for any harm caused when they fail to do so.”
And these programs will only get harder to access if Trump and Congressional Republicans get their way. Essential federal resources that help states fund many of these programs are being gutted.
First, DOGE fired all of the staff responsible for administering the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Then, Trump proposed eliminating LIHEAP’s entire budget.
LIHEAP helps low-income households afford the energy they need to keep their homes safe, powered, and habitable, especially during extreme heat and cold events. The program is already chronically underfunded. Under 20% of eligible households receive assistance any given year because of limited funding. Eliminating LIHEAP altogether will have dire, potentially deadly, consequences for millions of households who struggle to pay their utility bills.
Funding LIHEAP is a drop in the bucket of the federal budget, yet has demonstrable real-world benefits for people who are struggling to make ends meet. Even with limited resources, in 2023, LIHEAP helped prevent loss of energy service for almost 2 million households and restored service to over 250,000 others.
In addition to helping directly with energy bills and crisis relief, LIHEAP also funds home weatherization and minor health and safety repairs . These upgrades often include measures like insulation, air sealing, and ventilation improvements, which reduce energy waste and lower utility bills. These basic upgrades are often a prerequisite for whole home retrofits, a critical way to improve the safety and climate resilience of our homes and buildings. For many households, especially those facing extreme heat or cold, these repairs and improvements are not just about efficiency, they are a lifeline that protects health, prevents displacement, and reduces the need for crisis energy assistance.
The fact that these cuts are being implemented in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires makes the proposed elimination of LIHEAP especially cruel.
Congress must protect LIHEAP in the budget appropriations process, and support programs that help people maintain a safe and comfortable home, use less energy, and better afford their utility bills.