The Budget Would Cut LIHEAP, a Critical Program that Helps Families Afford Utilities, At a Time of Rising Costs

April 10, 2026

PENNSYLVANIA - Last week, President Trump released his 2027 budget that continues to raise  costs and rip support away from working families. The budget proposal includes deep cuts to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP) that helps low-income families with their heating bills. LIHEAP helps hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians heat their homes every winter. As energy costs climb, working families are struggling to shoulder the financial burden. Last year, 1 in 5 Pennsylvania households reported difficulty paying their energy bills and nearly 338,000 Pennsylvanians had their utilities disconnected in the first nine months of 2025.

“My wife and I are doing everything we can to keep costs down. I work as a mechanic in the suburbs of Philly, but live in the Poconos, commuting 3 hours round trip every day just to save money on the cost of living. But I can’t forgo heating my home in the winter and utility costs are out of control. We’re on PPL’s budget plan, but even those prices are becoming a burden,” said Matt of Albrightsville. “I think proposing to eliminate LIHEAP while 1 in 5 Pennsylvanians are struggling to pay their energy bill is cruel and a dumb excuse to “save money.” Last year they cut health care and food assistance to give tax breaks to billionaires and drove the national debt up by trillions. I hope my congressman, Ryan Mackenzie, stands up to Trump and fights to protect LIHEAP.”

Pennsylvanians across the Commonwealth are struggling with high energy costs thanks in part to the repeal of clean energy tax credits in the Republican Tax Law last summer. Clean energy subsidies help to lower electricity and gas prices, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and expand U.S. energy independence. Congressmen Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry’s votes to repeal these tax credits will raise energy prices, shut down energy production facilities, and reduce energy supply. In Pennsylvania, experts found that average annual electricity costs would increase by $93 for households and 10 percent for businesses in 2026, the average household would spend $582 more on gasoline annually by 2035, and 6,845 jobs would be at risk.

ICYMI: PennLive: With Trump budget cuts, Pa. could lose millions used to help people pay heating bills

• Pennsylvania received $208 million in LIHEAP funding last fall, according to federal data. Roughly 300,000 households with incomes under 150% of the poverty level get help every year, according to state data (for a family of four, 150% is just under $50,000).

• The Trump proposal comes as home energy costs are ratcheting up. Natural gas prices are currently tracking about 14% above where they were a year ago, and residential electricity up about 15%, according to federal data. Heating oil prices have shot up 32% in the six weeks since the start of the Iran war.

• If Trump were to succeed in his quest to eliminate LIHEAP, it would add to a list of cuts that Pennsylvania is finding challenging to cover.

###