April 14, 2025 | SWEEP statement
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This month’s decision by the Trump Administration to lay off the entire staff managing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a deeply troubling blow to millions of Americans who rely on the program for assistance with heating and cooling their homes. This program, established in 1981, has a proven track record of helping low-income households stay safe and comfortable during harsh weather conditions.
In the Southwest, LIHEAP funds are vital for households facing extreme temperatures. In Arizona, for example, the program helps low-income families afford air conditioning during the dangerously hot summer months, providing essential relief from life-threatening heat. It’s important to recognize that heat actually kills more people than any other type of weather, and low-income communities are especially vulnerable. LIHEAP assistance often includes helping families pay their electric bills to keep cooling systems running and prevent heat-related health emergencies.
In Colorado, participation in LIHEAP (known locally as LEAP) can automatically qualify residents for the state’s Weatherization Assistance Program. This program helps income-qualified residents reduce their energy bills and increase home safety through proven energy conservation solutions such as insulation and air sealing. Programs like these have been built over decades to provide essential support, and the abrupt loss of federal coordination risks undermining their effectiveness.
The consequences of this decision are particularly dire for states already facing significant climate challenges, where vulnerable communities will feel the impact most acutely. This move not only disregards decades of progress but also threatens to unravel the support systems that have been meticulously built over time. LIHEAP provides assistance to Americans who need it most, and gutting the program — while simultaneously increasing the costs of energy through tariffs — will further hurt consumers.
“It’s an American tradition to help those in need, especially when it comes to ensuring the basic necessities for survival,” said Elise Jones, Executive Director of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). “Firing all the staff responsible for administering this much-needed assistance program is a direct affront to that core value. At a time when extreme weather and the cost of living are both increasing, cutting support for the most vulnerable among us is not government efficiency — it’s abandonment.”
SWEEP calls on the administration to immediately reinstate the LIHEAP staff and restore the program’s full functionality to ensure that states can continue to support residents who depend on this assistance. We also urge our elected representatives to join us in standing up for this vital investment and protecting this lifeline for millions of Americans.
