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Author(s): Carey L. Biron

Looming cuts to energy aid fuel fear of 'deadly' summer

Source(s): Context
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Decades-old energy assistance program that helps millions of Americans with cooling costs is at risk as summers get hotter.

President Donald Trump is seeking to end a decades-old energy assistance program used by six million people, amid the second-warmest global temperatures on record and U.S. electricity prices that are expected to rise more than ever in coming months.

Experts warn the confluence, worsened by climate change that makes summer heat more intense and longer-lasting, could mean a deadly season for poor communities.

The staff at the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, was fired in April amid mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The following month, Trump's budget proposal recommended eliminating LIHEAP altogether, calling it "unnecessary because States have policies preventing utility disconnection for low-income households."

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Hazards Heatwave and Extreme Heat
Themes Governance Social impacts and social resilience
Country and region United States of America

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