Despite recent efforts to scrap it in Trump’s latest budget, more than $421 million dollars was released to states, tribes, and territories at the end of last month to support the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, also known as LIHEAP.
This release of funds is the final installment for this year and it will help an estimated 6 million households to pay for energy costs.
One in six households was behind on their energy bills in 2024, according to a recently-released report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Utility companies disconnected electricity service 13.4 million times that year, a figure that the report says confirms the electricity shutoff crisis is more widespread than previously estimated, "underscoring the depth of the nation's energy affordability challenges."
Higher costs are driven by two main factors: electricity prices rising faster than inflation, and increased temperatures forcing people to run air conditioners longer and more frequently. That's according to a report released by the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.
The association is requesting that Congress increase its appropriation for the program to $7 billion next year. In the latest budget request, President Trump advocated for eliminating the program.
Households in warmer regions like the South face the largest increases at over 13% because they consume more electricity for cooling and are more exposed to periods of peak demand, when electricity is most expensive.
The Mountain West, meanwhile, is expected to see a 9% increase from last year's cooling season to this year.
Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia provide some protections against utility companies shutting off electricity for customers who are behind on utility payments.
That includes Arizona, which recently imposed a summer protection rule to protect low-income families.
However, Utah and 30 other states have no summer shut-off protections at all, leaving low-income families vulnerable to the dangerous health conditions caused by prolonged exposure to extreme heat.
Extreme summer temperatures are higher and more widespread. Forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicate that 2026 is likely to bring above-average temperatures across most of the country.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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