U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is blasting former President Donald Trump for abruptly dismantling the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), calling the move a direct threat to more than a million New Yorkers who rely on the aid to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
In a statement released Thursday, Gillibrand condemned the firing of all Department of Health and Human Services staff responsible for administering LIHEAP. Without them, the program is effectively paralyzed—unable to disburse hundreds of millions of dollars in funding that Congress has already approved.
“LIHEAP is a commonsense, bipartisan program,” said Gillibrand. “By firing everyone who disburses LIHEAP funding, President Trump and the so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ are preventing funds from reaching families in need. He is raising the cost of living, all to provide tax cuts for billionaires.”
LIHEAP provides critical energy assistance to low-income households, helping them pay utility bills and cover urgent heating system repairs. During the winter of 2022–2023 alone, the program supported 1.1 million New York households.
The elimination of staff overseeing LIHEAP comes at a time when high utility costs and extreme temperatures pose serious health and financial risks to vulnerable residents. Gillibrand warned the move could result in missed payments, heating outages, and further financial strain on struggling families.
A longtime champion of the program, Gillibrand said she is committed to reversing the cuts. She has pushed legislation to expand LIHEAP and cap household energy costs at 3% of annual income.
“I will be doing everything in my power to get President Trump to reverse these cuts,” she said.
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