AUGUSTA – Ninety-two state lawmakers have signed a letter spearheaded by Rep. Tavis Hasenfus, D-Readfield, in response to the Trump administration’s Tuesday firing of the entire workforce at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for administering the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
In the letter addressed to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the lawmakers urged the administration to reconsider its decision and pressed the agency for answers about its plan to administer the program with no staff.
“While the funding for LIHEAP that was approved by Congress remains intact, we are deeply concerned that decimating the staff that administers the program not only usurps the constitutional authority of Congress – but that it will have devastating impacts on Mainers and make it harder for those who rely on LIHEAP to afford to heat their homes during the long, cold winter months that our state experiences,” the lawmakers wrote.
In 2023, LIHEAP helped more than 41,000 Maine households pay their energy bills. The program also provided more than 4,000 homes with emergency winter heating assistance, including families with less than a seven-day supply of heating fuel.
Hasenfus is serving his third term in the Maine House and represents Readfield and Winthrop. He is the House chair of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee (Hasenfus) | 305-965-2744