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Drastic cutbacks coupled with skyrocketing utility costs put seniors and other vulnerable households at greater risk for severe illness and death.
Published: April 8, 2025
A program New Yorkers have long relied on to keep their homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer could be on the chopping block, putting vulnerable households at increased risk for severe illness or death amid soaring utility costs.
The national Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, faces an uncertain future following drastic cutbacks announced last week by the Trump administration. The program’s entire federal staff was laid off last week as part of a massive restructuring at the Department of Health and Human Services, leaving the status of pending and future funding unclear.
“How could there be any program moving forward?” asked Laurie Wheelock of the Public Utility Law Project of New York, a nonprofit that advocates for energy affordability across the state. “That’s really worrisome.”
New York’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance — which administers the state’s eligibility program, known simply as HEAP — called it a “vital” resource for “hundreds of thousands of low- and middle-income households, families with young children, and older adults in New York.”
“We are counting on our federal elected officials to ensure this successful program continues to be funded and that New Yorkers are able to access the help they need,” an agency spokesperson wrote in an email.
It’s unclear whether the LIHEAP layoffs are final. President Donald Trump’s chaotic rollout of cuts has been the subject of multiple lawsuits, forcing officials to rescind layoffs and walk back attempts at dismantling entire agencies. Just days after the cuts were announced, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. told media outlets that as many as a fifth of the terminations at the agency may have been made in error.
New York receives more funding from LIHEAP than any other state. Last winter, the state doled out over $397 million to help households cover heating costs, make emergency repairs, and replace equipment.
In October, the state received $360 million for the current fiscal year, which runs through September. But there’s another $40 million or so currently earmarked for New York this fiscal year, and it’s not clear if the state will receive it.
LIHEAP releases funding to states multiple times a year based on complex calculations. With no federal staff to crunch the numbers and process payments, it’s unclear what will happen to the remaining money set aside for New York.
Annie Carforo, climate justice campaigns manager at the advocacy group WE ACT for Environmental Justice, fears the recent staffing eliminations could mean the remaining money will be “left on the table.” She also worries funding for the next fiscal year, which starts in October, could be eliminated entirely.
“To imagine it not being there is a little bit scary,” Carforo said of LIHEAP, which traces its origins back to the 1970s oil crisis and has received strong bipartisan support. “You’re taking away a major resource.”
The funding ambiguity surrounding LIHEAP coincides with the beginning of cooling benefits. An OTDA spokesperson confirmed the state will open applications for cooling assistance on April 15, as planned. Applications for heating assistance closed on April 7 after the state scrambled earlier this year to extend funding amid an unprecedented number of requests for assistance.
“We see so many people so completely overwhelmed by their situation,” said Wheelock, noting utility rate hikes and greater energy use statewide due to colder weather. “A significant number of people across the state have bills two to three times higher this year compared to last year.”
HEAP has helped provide relief for Enid Braun and her husband, who are both in their 70s and live in Brooklyn on a fixed income. “Our utility bills are the single most expensive bills we have every month,” said Braun, who has also been navigating health challenges on top of receiving shut-off notices after their account with ConEdison went into arrears.
Braun said HEAP has helped them avoid service disruptions, but they still worry about surprise bills — so they’ve kept their home at an icy 61 degrees, despite a cold winter. “We have to wear layers in the house pretty much all the time.”
Braun fears their household would rack up more arrears if federal funds for HEAP are cut. “It doesn’t feel good to be in debt,” she said.
According to Bill Ferris, legislative representative at AARP New York, over 1.2 million households in the state are more than 60 days behind on their utility bills and owe a total of $1.8 billion. In February, more than 411,000 final termination notices were sent out across New York.
“Given the significant health risks, it’s vitally important that HHS ensure there are no disruptions to the program,” said Ferris. “Older Americans are some of the most vulnerable to weather, whether hot or cold, and this program is needed to literally keep the lights on.”
The outlook on energy affordability will likely only worsen in the coming months as temperatures warm up and Trump’s tariffs — which could drive up the cost of everything from heating oil and gas to diesel and electricity from Canada — take effect.
As a result of climate change, more New Yorkers are experiencing hotter weather at a greater intensity and frequency. Extreme heat has become the most deadly hazardous weather event, disproportionately impacting people of color, the homeless, older adults, and people with chronic illnesses. “I hear from older adults who tell us, ‘I’ve lived in this house for 40 years, I’ve never needed an air conditioner, but now I do,’” said Wheelock.
To the chagrin of advocates, New York’s cooling assistance program has remained limited to the purchase and installation of a single air conditioner or fan per household. To be eligible, households must meet income guidelines and have a resident with a doctor’s note documenting a health condition exacerbated by extreme heat, an elderly resident age 60 or older, or a child under age six.
The program does not cover the costs of running the cooling appliance once installed, a gap that advocates say undermine the program’s efficacy. “We see families get the air conditioner unit or fan, but they’re terrified to turn it on and use it,” said Wheelock.
Demand for the cooling program has grown despite its limitations. “The last three years in a row, New York has run out of money for cooling assistance in July,” said Carforo.
Wheelock and Carforo both hope the governor will take up budget proposals by the Assembly and Senate to expand the Energy Affordability Program, a separate state-run program that provides monthly utility bill discounts. Braun’s household is one of many that rely on both HEAP and EAP together to drive utility costs down.
The Assembly and Senate support expanding the program with an increase of $200 million, compared to the governor’s proposed $50 million allotment for a specific pilot initiative aimed at getting New Yorkers to electrify their homes. The Energy Affordability Program currently serves roughly 2.7 million households across the state.
“$200 million is a great start, but it’s not going to be enough to backfill what we’re losing from the federal government,” said Carforo.
