Entire staff responsible for utility aid included in HHS cuts, sources say
The Trump administration on Tuesday eliminated the entire staff of a federal program that helps low-income households pay utility bills, sources said.
The Trump administration on Tuesday eliminated the entire staff of a federal program that helps low-income households pay utility bills, sources said.
The staff of 10 employees accounted for only a small fraction of the 10,000 layoffs included in Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s purge of the Department of Health and Human Services. But those who work closely with the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, now fear for its future.
“Ultimately, I believe the program will crumble from within without the federal office there to manage it,” said Andrew Germain, who was director of fiscal operations and accountability for the Administration for Children and Families, the HHS division that leads dozens of programs from welfare assistance to child-abuse prevention.
Germain and his team were responsible for conducting oversight and providing technical assistance to such community services, including LIHEAP. He received an email from HHS around 5 a.m. ET Tuesday informing him that he would be placed on administrative leave until June 2. The Office of Personnel Management requires federal employees be given 60 days’ notice before the effective date of workforce cuts.
A representative for HHS didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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