FACT SHEET: Trump Imperils Program to Help Working Americans Heat and Cool Their Homes

Trump and RFK Jr. fired entire staff running LIHEAP—putting program that helps 6 million American households heat and cool their homes in grave jeopardy

$378 million due to go out to help Americans avoid sweltering heat this summer now at risk

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, responded to President Trump and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. firing the entirety of the staff who run the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps 6 million American households with the tightest budgets afford to heat and cool their homes.

6 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS SERVED BY LIHEAP ANNUALLY

In a statement, Senator Murray said:

“As he raises costs for American families by $3,800 and works to give billionaires like himself new tax breaks, Trump has now also fired all the staff in charge of helping over 6 million American households heat and cool their homes.

“If the idea here is to prevent federal funding from reaching working class families who are counting on help to cool their homes this summer, Trump and RFK Jr. are on to something—because who exactly is supposed to ensure this funding gets out now? In a matter of weeks, HHS is due to send states hundreds of millions of dollars in new resources ahead of the summer heat—who is going to ensure that happens? When HHS has to quickly turn around new appropriations in October to release funding to states ahead of the winter cold, who is going to ensure that is done quickly and correctly?

“Even a brief delay could ruin the finances of working families who are hanging on by a thread if this money doesn’t get out—and leave seniors stranded in deadly heat waves this summer. If there are serious errors with calculations that end up shortchanging communities, we have Trump and RFK Jr. to thank for firing the very people who keep this program running.

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk would like us to believe that our country cannot afford to pay the salaries of the people who help working people across America heat and cool their homes—but that we can afford over $5 trillion in new tax breaks for billionaires like themselves. It is as absurd as it is offensive—and it is working people across the country who will suffer the consequences of their recklessness.”

LIHEAP helps 6 million households in every state and territory afford to heat and cool their homes with $4.1 billion in assistance for fiscal year 2025. The program is particularly important in ensuring working class Americans and vulnerable populations like seniors are not left in deadly heat waves or winter freezes. Each year, extreme heat causes more deaths than any other weather events.

Approximately $378 million in fiscal year 2025 funding to help Americans cool their homes this summer has yet to go out. Without it, Americans will lose out on a lifeline that saves them money each month and allows them to stay cool.

A state-by-state breakdown of LIHEAP funding in jeopardy because Trump and RFK Jr. fired the entirety of the staff that run the program is below:

Funding listed is the full FY24 allocation released to states by HHS. FY25 allocations are not yet final or fully disbursed. [HHS DATA]

Households served is the number of households served by LIHEAP in FY23—the latest data on record. [HHS DATA]

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