WASHINGTON – Federal money for new applicants seeking help with their heating bills could end as early as mid-April, a victim of mass layoffs this week at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Minnesota received $112 million for the state’s energy assistance program last fall, but hoped for another $12 million-$13 million from the federal Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help an additional 10,000 Minnesota households pay their utility bills and prevent power shutoffs.
But the status of the program is in limbo as the Trump administration abruptly fired the entire LIHEAP staff.
LIHEAP is a program run by the Health and Human Services Department, which fired 10,000 workers this week and lost an additional 10,000 employees earlier this year.
The firings threaten to paralyze the $4.1 billion LIHEAP program, but the Trump administration is justifying the layoffs.
“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said in a statement. “This Department will do more — a lot more — at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., issued her own statement, blasting Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency and the Trump administration for firing all LIHEAP employees.
“Firing all the workers from the office that helps families keep their homes warm and safe through the winter is thoughtless and cruel,” Smith said. “Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are facing severe winter weather right now, and the need for heating assistance is greater than ever. “
The Minnesota Department of Commerce, which runs the heating assistance program in the state, says it has helped about 107,000 households, both homeowners and renters, pay their utility bills this winter.
The Commerce Department said about half of those who received LIHEAP help are over 60 and that one in six households who receive the subsidy have children under age 6.
The average payment per household, which is paid directly to its utility company, is about $700.
GOP Senators part ways with Trump on tariffs
President Donald Trump’s sweeping imposition of new tariffs on all U.S. trading partners has resulted in some cracks in the president’s support among GOP Senate members.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has introduced legislation with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., to claw back Congress’ tariff power.
“For too long, Congress has delegated its clear authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the executive branch,” Grassley said in a statement.
Also this week, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 to revoke Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products. GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined all 47 Democrats to pass the bill.
“Today, the Senate sent a clear message to the President: You cannot abuse your powers to start an unjustified trade war with one of our strongest allies,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a prepared statement. “Canada is Minnesota’s top trading partner, but the president’s tariffs are jeopardizing that relationship — and the consequences may be irreversible.”
Democrats are also feeling out GOP colleagues on other tariff-related legislation.
But any legislation concerning tariffs would have to be approved by the U.S. House, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been a major cheerleader of Trump’s controversial trade policy.
Meanwhile, the stock market plunged, talk of a looming recession got louder and retaliatory tariffs from allies and foes alike are expected to ratchet up inflation.
The Washington Post has an analysis of what it identified as the many falsehoods about Trump’s Rose Garden speech announcing the new tariffs.
The Post said Trump’s notion that the tariffs would reduce the national debt was “a fantasy,” especially if the economy sinks.
And it corrected Trump’s exaggerated and false numbers when it came to the tariffs other countries impose on the United States and the “subsidies” Trump says the United States gives Canada and Mexico.
In case you missed it:
- MinnPost talked with Minnesota farmers who are worried about retaliatory tariffs that are expected in response to President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Soybean farmers, for instance, export about 60% of their beans and fear a trade war.
- We also reported on cuts by the United States Department of Agriculture that are already leading to shortages at food shelves in Minnesota.
- Meanwhile, data freelancer Michael Nolan added up the amount of federal money that flows into the state for health care, education and agriculture — money threatened by DOGE-driven cost-cutting.
- Also, with President Trump making noise about serving a third term (which would violate the 22nd Amendment), we ran a scholar’s commentary on how that amendment limiting presidential terms to two came to be.
Your questions and comments
A reader, rightly, called me out for not quoting farmers in a story about federal cuts to nutrition programs that provide food to food shelves and schools. For the record, I have asked farmers how they feel about the cuts, and they are not hesitant to tell me they don’t like them.
“It is great to talk to politicians and food shelf officials about this, but what about those who grow and consume the food?” the reader asked. “The farmers could explain how severely this impacts their revenue and conscience, as I imagine many feel great pride in preventing children and adults living in poverty from hunger.”
Please keep your comments, and any questions, coming. I’ll try my best to respond. Please contact me at aradelat@minnpost.com.
The post D.C. Memo: Heating assistance program in limbo after layoffs appeared first on MinnPost.
