Overview

• The Trump administration abruptly terminated all federal staff overseeing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as part of a broader restructuring of HHS.
• LIHEAP, which aids 6.2 million low-income households annually with heating and cooling costs, remains operational for now, but $378 million in federal payments are still pending.
• State and local agencies report significant confusion about how to process future applications and funding requests without federal oversight.
• Bipartisan calls from lawmakers, including two Republican senators, urge the administration to reverse the layoffs to protect the program's continuity.
• Massachusetts and other states have received 90% of their allocated LIHEAP funds for the fiscal year, but officials warn that the lack of federal staff could jeopardize future disbursements and audits.