Westbank Louisiana News

Senator Bernie Sanders, along with 30 of his Senate colleagues, has addressed a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling for the reinstatement of workers who were recently dismissed from the office that administers the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This program is crucial for providing heating and cooling assistance to working-class families with children and seniors on fixed incomes.

These terminations followed a decision by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Sanders, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, highlighted the importance of this program in a letter co-signed by several senators, including Angela Alsobrooks, Tammy Baldwin, and Michael Bennet, among others.

The senators emphasized the impact of LIHEAP, noting that it assisted over six million American households last year in managing their energy costs during extreme weather conditions. "In the richest country in the history of the world, no one should be forced to make that unacceptable decision," the letter stated, referring to the difficult choices households face without this assistance.

LIHEAP has been providing support for nearly 45 years, aiding families across the United States. Rising energy costs have increased the significance of this program for seniors, working families, and individuals with disabilities. A Census Bureau report highlighted that over 23 percent of households struggled to pay their energy bills in full last year.

Sanders and his colleagues stressed the administration's duty to fulfill its commitment to LIHEAP. "The administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse LIHEAP funds to states and to uphold the program's promise to help families keep the heat and air condition on," they wrote. The senators insisted on the immediate reinstatement of LIHEAP staff, the reopening of the Division of Energy Assistance, and the full disbursement of appropriated funds.