The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has fired every federal staffer working on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a long-standing initiative that helps low-income families pay their energy bills.
Former HHS employee Andrew Germain revealed the news this week, stating, “Every single federal staff member that worked on LIHEAP was let go, so there are no federal staff members left to work on the program.”Before the layoffs, the LIHEAP team reportedly included around 15 federal employees. The program plays a crucial role in providing funding to states, which then assist families in covering heating and cooling costs, particularly during extreme weather conditions.
But LIHEAP wasn’t the only program impacted. Germain also confirmed that staff overseeing the Social Services Block Grants, funds used by states and territories to protect vulnerable populations, including children at risk of abuse and neglect; were also terminated.
The firings are part of a massive workforce reduction under the Trump administration’s broader agenda to cut down on federal staffing. According to an HHS press release, the department is eliminating 10,000 positions in the latest wave of layoffs, following a prior cut that already removed another 10,000 roles.
That brings the total to 20,000 jobs slashed from one of the nation’s largest federal agencies, many of which were tied to programs directly serving low-income and at-risk populations.
