The Trump administration recently laid off 25 staff members overseeing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a $4.1 billion program that helps low income households across the U.S. pay for their heating and cooling bills. The staffing cut threatens the delivery of critical aid and puts millions of older adults across the country in jeopardy of illness from heat waves this coming summer.
LIHEAP has allocated $378 million this fiscal year to assist Americans with summer cooling costs – funds that are essential as heat waves become more intense because of climate change. Due to the staffing cuts, it’s not clear if these funds will be delivered.
Older adults are especially vulnerable. More than 80 percent of the estimated 12,000 people in the United States who die of heat-related causes annually are over age 60, according to the journalism resource Climate Central. Air conditioning is one of the most effective precautions against heat related illness and death.
New York receives more funding from LIHEAP compared to any other state; approximately 1 million New York households use the program. New York households were slated to receive $40 million in cooling assistance this year.
In 2024, the state of New York worked to identify more older adults who qualify for LIHEAP with legislation that helped to enroll seniors already participating in the state's Elderly Pharmaceutical Coverage Program.
Because aging bodies lose their ability to regulate temperature, older adults are more susceptible to illness and death during heat waves. Studies show that it can be hard for even healthy older adults to tell when they are becoming too hot, and cognitive decline can exacerbate this problem. Older bodies don’t produce as much sweat as younger bodies. And older adults are more likely to have chronic health conditions and take medicines that contribute to heat intolerance. The risk is even greater for older adults who are low-income, live in urban areas, or identify as Black or Hispanic.
New York’s cooling assistance program funds the purchase and installation of a portable air conditioner or fan for each eligible household. Participants must meet income guidelines and have a resident who fits one of the following criteria: age 60 or older, a health condition exacerbated by extreme heat, or a child under age six.
Congress established LIHEAP in 1981 to offset heating and cooling costs for low-income households. Last week’s lay-offs were part of larger cuts by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is drastically reorganizing the Department of Health and Human Services.