Trump White House asks Congress to zero out LIHEAP, calling state utility shutoff laws a substitute

The Trump White House submits its FY2026 budget request to Congress proposing zero funding for LIHEAP, the first time in the program's 45-year history a president requests complete elimination. The administration's budget justification says state laws that restrict utility shutoffs for low-income households make the federal program "unnecessary," calling it "a pass-through benefitting utilities in the Northeast." In April 2025, the Trump administration had also laid off approximately two dozen HHS staffers running the program as part of a broader HHS restructuring. Congress ultimately rejects elimination, funding LIHEAP at $20 million above FY2025 levels in the final appropriations bill.