As the summer approaches, the federal discounts threaten the program to keep the vulnerable people wonderful

This story is originally Appear Barrier It is part of Climate cooperation.

The summer of 2021 was brutal for the population of the northwest of the Pacific. Cities all over the region were shattered by Portland, Oregon, to Coelot, Washington, temperature records Several degrees. In Washington, with the stability of the burning heat wave on the state, 125 people died due to heat -related diseases such as strokes and heart attacks, making them the most an weather event in the history of the state.

Since officials have realized the impact of the unexpected thermal wave on people with low and unusual income people who are unable to reach air conditioning, they had a decisive change in the state’s energy assistance program. Since the early eighties of the last century, the states, tribes and regions have received money every year to help low -income people pay their electricity bills and install energy efficiency promotions through a low -income home energy assistance program, or Liheap. Congress allocates funds for the program, the Ministry of Health and Humanitarian Services, or HHS, is taking place in countries in late fall. Until the summer of 2021, the initiative was primarily provided for heating during the cold winter months in Washington. But in that year, the officials The program expanded To cover the cooling expenses.

Last year, Congress allocated $ 4.1 billion for this effort, and HHS 90 percent of money was made. But the program is now in danger.

Earlier this month, HHS, led by Minister Robert F. Kennedy Junior, with 10,000 employees, including nearly ten people or so is charged with Liheap running. The agency was supposed to send an additional $ 378 million this year, but this money is now stuck in federal treasures without the need for employees to move the money.

Liheap helps approximately 6 million people to survive in the free and slow summer winter, many of whom face greater risk now after the warmth season has already brought unusually high temperatures. It is expected that the population of Phoenix The first 100 degrees high On any day now.

“We are witnessing warm weather, really limited to the funding needed to help people in summer heatly warmly,” said one of the HHS employees who worked on the Liheap program and was recently. They said that the loss of people who run the program is “completely devastating”, because the agency’s employees helped countries and tribes to understand the flexible citizen in the program to actively serve people, and the assistance that has become extremely important with increasingly irregular weather patterns throughout the country.

In the usual years, as soon as Congress is allocated Liheap boxes, HHS distributes money in autumn in time for cold months. Then countries and other entities make critical decisions about how much they spend during the winter and the amount of what they provide in the summer.

Liheap boxes have always been greater than available. About 1 out of 5 families that meet the requirements of the eligibility of the program. As a result, countries often run out of money by summer. The former employee said at least a quarter of a quarter of a Liheap grant has ran out of money at some point during the year.