To: Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Date: May 23, 2025
Re: Request for Full Funding of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in FY2026 Appropriations
Dear Chair Capito, Ranking Member Baldwin, Chair Aderholt, and Ranking Member DeLauro,
On behalf of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing environmental justice and equitable climate resilience, as well as the undersigned organizations, we respectfully urge the Subcommittee to appropriate the maximum authorized level of $5.1 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. In addition, with recent news that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have illegally fired the entire office responsible for implementing the LIHEAP program, we demand assurances that the LIHEAP program be fully staffed moving forward.
LIHEAP: A Crucial Safety Net for Low-Income Households
LIHEAP is a vital federal program that helps millions of Americans maintain safe home temperatures. In FY2023 alone, it served approximately 5.3 million households nationwide, yet reached only about 20% of eligible families due to chronic underfunding.1 LIHEAP serves many households consisting of seniors, individuals with disabilities, or young children—all groups acutely vulnerable to heat stress and cold exposure.
In New York City, nearly 30% of households are energy burdened, meaning they spend more than 6% of their income on utilities.2 This burden disproportionately falls on low-income Black and Latino residents in historically redlined neighborhoods such as the South Bronx, East New York, and Central Harlem—areas where residents are also more likely to live in poorly insulated and energy-inefficient housing.
Climate Change, Energy Insecurity, and Environmental Justice
With increasing climate volatility, energy insecurity has become a public health crisis. In 2023, New York City experienced more days above 90°F than any year in the past decade.3 These extreme heat events exacerbate health disparities in neighborhoods with higher asthma rates, air pollution, and limited access to green infrastructure. The deadly 2019 heat wave, which claimed multiple lives in NYC public housing, underscores the urgent need for federal support.4
LIHEAP not only helps households pay their utility bills, but also supports weatherization and energy efficiency improvements, which reduce long-term costs and improve resilience to extreme weather, critical for frontline communities already bearing the brunt of environmental degradation.
Recent Federal Disruptions Undermine Local Response
We are deeply troubled by recent administrative disruptions at the Department of Health and Human Services, including the reported layoffs of the LIHEAP oversight staff and the subsequent delay of $378 million in previously appropriated funds.5 These disruptions jeopardize the continuity of life-saving assistance, placing additional strain on state and municipal agencies tasked with implementing the program on the ground.
As a result, states like New York are forced to operate under uncertainty, delaying outreach and enrollment while vulnerable residents face another summer of dangerous heat without assurance of relief. The summer months are crucial because over the past few years, the LIHEAP program in New York State has consistently run out of funding in early July, the part of the summer most prone to heat waves.6 This places the most vulnerable at risk. 50 percent of the heat-related deaths are among Black/African American people, even though they make up only 25 percent of New York City’s population.78
Congressional Leadership Is Needed Now
To meet the moment, we ask the Subcommittee to appropriate the full $5.1 billion previously authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, 42 U.S.C. § 8621.9 This should be paired with supplemental emergency funding of at least $2 billion, as was done in FY23.10 Fully funding LIHEAP will allow local administrators to expand access, scale up weatherization, and prepare for worsening climate conditions that disproportionately affect low-income and environmental justice communities. Furthermore, we demand assurances that the LIHEAP program will be fully staffed within the Department of Health and Human Services, to ensure the capacity to fully implement the Congressionally appropriated funds for this life-saving program.
Recent polling data from Data for Progress shows that the vast majority (75 percent) of Americans support LIHEAP.11 WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s own polling has similarly revealed that 74 percent of voters nationwide have bipartisan support for the program, with 92% of surveyed Democrats and 56 percent of Republicans indicating support.12 This is not just a matter of budgeting —it is a matter of equity, health, and human dignity. We thank you for your leadership and urge you to ensure that every American, regardless of income or zip code, can live in a home safe from climate extremes.
Sincerely,
Environmental Justice Organizations
350Hawaii
Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE)
CEED
Chispa, a program of LCV
Climate Justice Alliance
Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
Earth Ethics, Inc.
EcoMadres
Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform (EJHA)
Extinction Rebellion Houston
GreenLatinos
JPAP
Just Transition Northwest Indiana
Los Jardines Instite
Micah Six Eight Mission
New Energy Economy
New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance
North Carolina Environmental Justice Network
Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light
Pitt Co. Coalition Against Racism (CAR)
SEE (Social Eco Education)
South Bronx Unite
Sowing Justice
WE ACT for Environmental Justice
West End Revitalization Association (WERA)
Western Nebraska Resources Council
Allied Organizations
198 methods
350 Bay Area Action
350 Wisconsin
350.org
AKPIRG
Between the Waters
Breach Collective
Catalyst Miami
Center for Biological Diversity
Clean Water Action
Climate Action Campaign
Concerned Health Professionals of Pennsylvania
Earthjustice
EDF Action
Elevate Energy
Evergreen Action
Friends of the Earth US
Greater Frenchtown Revitalization Council/Tallahassee Food Network
Green Map System
Green New Deal Network
Health Care Without Harm
Healthy Climate Wisconsin
Hilltown Vision
Institute for Policy Studies Climate Policy Program
Jewish Climate Action Network NYC
League of Conservation Voters
Long Beach Alliance for Clean Energy
Media Alliance
Memphis APRI
Natural Resources Defense Council
Nia Impact Capital
People's Action Institute
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Portland Raging Grannies
Putnam Progressives
Sierra Club
The Enviro Show
Third Act Texas
Union of Concerned Scientists
Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community
CC: Chair Susan Collins, Vice Chair Patty Murray, Chair Tom Cole, Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
Sources:
1 U.S. Dep’t of Health & Hum. Servs., Off. of Cmty. Servs., LIHEAP Clearinghouse Data,
https://liheapch.acf.hhs.gov (last visited Apr. 22, 2025).
2 N.Y.C. Env’t Just. All., NYC Energy Burden Report (2023),
https://www.nyc-eja.org/publications/energyburden2023.
3 N.Y.C. Mayor’s Off. of Resiliency, 2023 Climate Resiliency Progress Report (2024),
https://www.nyc.gov/climate-resiliency-report
4 Mireya Navarro, NYCHA Tenants Died in Heat Wave. Could It Have Been Prevented?, N.Y. Times (July 26,
2019), https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/26/nyregion/nycha-heatwave-deaths.html.
5 Michael R. Sisak, Trump Administration Fires Staff of Program That Helps Low-Income Households Pay for Heat,
AP News (Apr. 15, 2025), https://apnews.com/article/91e466c458ac804b098be00867a92106.
6 Lin, Anthony, and Brian A. Colle. “Long-Term Trends in Heat Wave Gaps for the New York City Metropolitan
Area.” Urban Climate, vol. 59, 24 Dec. 2024, p. 102247,
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212095524004449, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2024.102247.
7 Heat-Related Deaths in New York City, 2013 Data Tables,
https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/datatable47.pdf.
8 United States Census Bureau. “QuickFacts: New York City, New York.” Census Bureau QuickFacts, United States
Census Bureau, 2021, www.census.gov/quickfacts/newyorkcitynewyork.
9 Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-58, 119 Stat. 594 (codified as amended at 42 U.S.C. § 8621).
10 LIHEAP and WAP Funding | the LIHEAP Clearinghouse.” Liheapch.acf.hhs.gov,
liheapch.acf.hhs.gov/Funding/funding.htm.
11 Data for Progress, 28 Apr. 2025, www.dataforprogress.org/datasets/polling-on-liheap. Accessed 6 May 2025.
12 Embold Research and WE ACT for Environmental Justice (2025), WE ACT Healthy Homes Survey
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/66b25a67d694ff578ea46977/t/681bbab8f3f2343441eb74fb/1746647740097/W
E+ACT+_+Healthy+Homes+First+Polling+Presentation+%26+Report+_+May+2025.pdf