The Trump administration's proposed budget for fiscal 2026 aims to eliminate the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides essential heating and cooling support to low-income families. Despite its bipartisan backing, particularly from Republicans like Sen. Susan Collins, the administration argues that such subsidies are unnecessary due to its energy dominance agenda. As climate change increases reliance on air conditioning amid heat waves, lawmakers from hotter regions advocate for higher funding. Critics assert that removing LIHEAP could jeopardize the safety of vulnerable groups reliant on it for summer cooling.
"The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides support to some 6 million Americans and has bipartisan support in Congress, particularly among Republicans such as Maine Sen. Susan Collins."
"As climate change has turbocharged heat waves across the country, LIHEAP has been increasingly relied on to fund air conditioning costs, helping those in need stay safe in summer."
"The Trump administration argued in its proposed fiscal 2026 budget...that it's unnecessary to subsidize heating and cooling costs, opting instead for energy dominance policies."
"Mark Wolfe, head of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, noted that LIHEAP is critical for helping folks adapt to extreme heat, especially given that most heat deaths occur indoors."
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