Minnesota says money to help 10,000 homes with heat and electric bills at risk after Trump fires entire program staff

Minnesota officials say at least $12 million to help 10,000 households pay utility bills and prevent power shutoffs could be delayed after the Trump administration reportedly laid off the entire staff of the program that distributes the money.

The state believes it will run out of money to help new applicants to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in mid-April. The New York Times reported Wednesday the LIHEAP workers were among about 10,000 employees fired from the Department of Health and Human Services.

“We had a foot of snow in northern Minnesota this week,” said Mo Schriner, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Commerce, in a written statement. “It’s cold outside. Minnesotans know that losing heat to your home in freezing temperatures can be life-threatening.”

Commerce, which administers the program, expects the federal government to follow through on its commitments. But the agency is “deeply concerned” about delays, Schriner said.

Spokeswoman Emily Hilliard said in a written statement emailed to the Minnesota Star Tribune on Thursday that HHS “will continue to comply” with federal law “and as a result of the reorganization, will be better positioned to execute on Congress’s statutory intent.”

The Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota, a consumer watchdog nonprofit, said in a news release that Minnesota is awaiting the final 10% of federal funding for the current program year. The money was approved by Congress, CUB said.

“Even a delay in funding will mean that eligible Minnesotans risk utility shutoffs or being unable to refill empty propane or fuel oil tanks,” said Annie Levenson-Falk, CUB’s executive director, in a statement.

Most of the cash is distributed as grants based on income and the cost of energy. The program also offers “crisis” payments to households facing disconnection and emergency repairs.

The program typically helps about 130,000 Minnesota households a year. Commerce said about two-thirds of payments in Minnesota are to households outside the Twin Cities, and since October about half of people getting money are over 60.

The average payment per household in that time span has been about $700.

The state’s Cold Weather Rule protects customers from losing electricity or heat until April 30 as long as they meet certain conditions.

But Levenson-Falk said in an interview that many people still are disconnected during winter. “The conditions are that you have to make a payment arrangement with your utility and you have to keep up with timely payments,” she said.

CUB has pushed the Minnesota Legislature to approve state funding for energy assistance subsidies this year because there isn’t enough federal money to meet the need.

Duluth-based Minnesota Power said it was too early to comment on the federal layoffs, but it has its own program for discounting electric bills.

“We want to assure customers that we will work with them,” said spokeswoman Amy Rutledge. “We always work with people to set up payment plans to really help them.”

Xcel Energy spokesman Theo Keith said the company has not experienced any missed payments from the federal government but they’re monitoring the situation. “We will continue to enroll customers in our affordability programs and will work closely with state and federal agencies to ensure our customers receive all the energy assistance they need,” Keith said.