Technophile NewsTechnophile News
  • Home
  • News
  • PC
  • Phones
  • Android
  • Gadgets
  • Games
  • Guides
  • Accessories
  • Reviews
  • Spotlight
  • More
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Web Stories
    • Press Release
What's On

Oppo K13 Turbo Series With RGB Lighting and Fan Confirmed to Launch In China On July 21

11 July 2025

Power Up With This Prime Day Deal on Anker’s Best Power Bank

11 July 2025

Some of the stuff we actually bought during Prime Day

11 July 2025

Best Gaming Laptops of 2024: Asus TUF Gaming A14, Alienware m16 R2, and More

11 July 2025

Flipkart GOAT Sale: Nothing Phone 3a, Phone 3a Pro, CMF Phone 2 Pro, More to See Discounts

11 July 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Friday, July 11
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
Technophile NewsTechnophile News
Demo
  • Home
  • News
  • PC
  • Phones
  • Android
  • Gadgets
  • Games
  • Guides
  • Accessories
  • Reviews
  • Spotlight
  • More
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Web Stories
    • Press Release
Technophile NewsTechnophile News
Home » As Summer Approaches, Federal Cuts Threaten Program to Keep Vulnerable People Cool
News

As Summer Approaches, Federal Cuts Threaten Program to Keep Vulnerable People Cool

By News Room19 April 20253 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

The summer of 2021 was brutal for residents of the Pacific Northwest. Cities across the region from Portland, Oregon, to Quillayute, Washington, broke temperature records by several degrees. In Washington, as the searing heat wave settled over the state, 125 people died from heat-related illnesses such as strokes and heart attacks, making it the deadliest weather event in the state’s history.

As officials recognized the heat wave’s disproportionate effect on low-income and unhoused people unable to access air-conditioning, they made a crucial change to the state’s energy assistance program. Since the early 1980s, states, tribes, and territories have received funds each year to help low-income people pay their electricity bills and install energy-efficiency upgrades through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. Congress appropriates funds for the program, and the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, doles it out to states in late fall. Until the summer of 2021, the initiative primarily provided heating assistance during Washington’s cold winter months. But that year, officials expanded the program to cover cooling expenses.

Last year, Congress appropriated $4.1 billion for the effort, and HHS disbursed 90 percent of the funds. But the program is now in jeopardy.

Earlier this month, HHS, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., laid off 10,000 employees, including the roughly dozen or so people tasked with running LIHEAP. The agency was supposed to send out an additional $378 million this year, but those funds are now stuck in federal coffers without the staff needed to move the money out.

LIHEAP helps roughly 6 million people survive freezing winters and blistering summers, many of whom face greater risks now that the year’s warm season has already brought unusually high temperatures. Residents of Phoenix are expected to have their first 100-degree high any day now.

“We’re seeing the warm-weather states really coming up short with the funding necessary to assist people in the summer with extreme heat,” said one of the HHS employees who worked on the LIHEAP program and was recently laid off. Losing the people that ran the program is “absolutely devastating,” they said, because agency staff helped states and tribes understand the flexibilities in the program to serve people effectively, assistance that became extremely important with increasingly erratic weather patterns across the country.

In typical years, once Congress appropriates LIHEAP funds, HHS distributes the money in the fall in time for the colder months. States and other entities then make critical decisions about how much they spend during the winter and how much they save for the summer.

The need for LIHEAP funds has always been greater than what has been available. Only about 1 in 5 households that meet the program’s eligibility requirements receive funds. As a result, states often run out of money by the summer. At least a quarter of LIHEAP grant recipients run out of money at some point during the year, the former employee said.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related News

Power Up With This Prime Day Deal on Anker’s Best Power Bank

11 July 2025

Some of the stuff we actually bought during Prime Day

11 July 2025

The 32 Best Deals at Walmart’s Competing Prime Day Sale

11 July 2025

Amazfit’s great Active 2 fitness tracker is just $79.99 for Prime Day

11 July 2025

The Best Laptop Docking Stations to Supercharge Your Workstation

11 July 2025

Belkin is ending support for nearly all its Wemo smart home devices

11 July 2025
Top Articles

Huawei Nova 14 Ultra – Price in India, Specifications (21st May 2025)

20 May 2025130 Views

iQOO Neo 10 Pro+ Confirmed to Debut This Month, Pre-Reservations Begin

8 May 202593 Views

Redmi K80 Ultra Design, Colours, and Key Features Revealed; to Get MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ SoC

18 June 202580 Views
Stay In Touch
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
  • WhatsApp
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Don't Miss

The 32 Best Deals at Walmart’s Competing Prime Day Sale

11 July 2025

Amazon Prime Day isn’t just Amazon; competitors get in on the action, too. We found…

Amazfit’s great Active 2 fitness tracker is just $79.99 for Prime Day

11 July 2025

Boat Valour Watch 1 GPS Launched in India With Up to 15 Days of Battery Life: Price, Features

11 July 2025

Amazon Prime Day Sale 2025: Best Early Deals on Gaming Laptops

11 July 2025
Technophile News
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest YouTube Dribbble
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
© 2025 Technophile News. All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.