Heat blamed for 27 deaths in Phoenix
A hot and dangerous summer is happening in the Southwest. Maricopa County, Arizona, is having its hottest start to the summer.
For more than 6 million low-income Americans, it could be a cruel summer after Health and Human Services closed the office responsible for providing utility assistance.
HHS laid off the entire staff of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Monday morning, said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, which represents state governments in federal programs to help low-income families pay water, heating, and cooling bills.
The double-digit number of people laid off may be a small fraction of the 10,000 total layoffs at HHS, but LIHEAP provides heating and cooling assistance to about 6.2 million very low-income households. Without assistance, those people may not be able to pay their bills and end up sweltering in the summer heat and freezing all winter or even dying.
“Just when I thought the news couldn’t get worse!” Wolfe wrote in an email to USA Today. “The federal LIHEAP was completely closed.”
When might people feel the cuts?
In a few short months, people may literally start feeling the heat from HHS’ move, Wolfe said.
Here’s why, he said:
- LIHEAP received about $4.1 billion in funding for FY25. HHS released 90% of those funds in October.
- The remaining 10%, or about $378 million, used by states to pay for summer cooling, and emergency funding…
