As millions of Americans face a gap in food assistance due to the federal government shutdown, some families also worry about how they'll pay their winter heating bills.
The shutdown has delayed federal funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, a program that helps about 6 million households nationwide pay their heating or cooling bills, buy fuel or fix broken heaters.
For nearly a decade, preschool teacher Justina Ray has relied on LIHEAP to heat her Pennsylvania home.
"My income itself comes down with all the holidays and the school closures," Ray said. Without LIHEAP, she said, her winter energy bills are "not affordable."
Around this time each year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sends most of the annual LIHEAP funding to states to run the program. But because of the shutdown, that hasn't happened.
So Pennsylvania has delayed the start of its LIHEAP program by a month, from early November to early December. It's one of several states, including New York, Maine, Minnesota and Wyoming, that have announced delays or disruptions to their programs due to the shutdown. A few others — like Alaska and Massachusetts — are using money left over from last season to give emergency assistance. Some, including Vermont and Connecticut, are preparing to use state funding to front the costs if needed.
For Ray and millions of other people, delays in LIHEAP funding could lead to tough choices. Ray said she's holding off turning on the heat in the gray-shingled duplex just north of Philadelphia, which she shares with her two kids.
"Without LIHEAP, I really don't know what I'm going to do," Ray said.
Pennsylvania has some money left over from last year's allocation, but it's not enough to sustain the program, said Hoa Pham, deputy secretary for the Office of Income Maintenance at Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services. Pham said the state needs a guarantee that more federal funding is coming.
"I would consider it really detrimental for us to start a program, and then lose funding and then have to close it," Pham said.
Concerns about delayed funds, after Trump fired LIHEAP staff
Even after the shutdown ends, it will likely take weeks for the federal government to release LIHEAP funds, said Mark Wolfe, director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, which represents state agencies that run the program. Wolfe worries the process will be slower than usual because earlier this year, the Trump administration fired the staff that administers LIHEAP. Wolfe said while not every state is feeling the pinch, most will need federal funding to fully open their programs.
"[It will be] December before we see any of the money, and it could be into January," Wolfe said. "We're very, very worried about that, because winter starts."
Department of Health and Human Services Press Secretary Emily Hilliard said in an emailed statement that once the government reopens, the agency will "work swiftly" to administer the LIHEAP funds.
Households prepare for sacrifices
The delay in federal LIHEAP funding comes amid rising gas and electric bills and disruptions in other assistance programs, like SNAP, said Tony Reames, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies energy justice and worked at the U.S. Department of Energy under the Biden administration.
"This is kind of like a perfect storm, unfortunately," Reames said.
Liz Marx, director of the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project, worries about families whose utility service is currently shut off who are counting on LIHEAP to restore services. She said LIHEAP is also crucial for people who heat their homes using fuel that's delivered, like heating oil, propane or wood, because they are not protected by the restrictions on utility shutoffs that many states institute during the winter.
In Pennsylvania, utility companies, including Ray's, have promised to suspend shutoffs for certain customers during November because of the shutdown. Still, Marx said the delay in Pennsylvania's LIHEAP program will likely force households to make tough choices.
"I think a lot of people are going to sacrifice food, medicine, medical care, other life essentials," Marx said. "I think people will fall behind on their rent."
Remington Steele-Caleñe is planning to apply for LIHEAP this winter. The Philadelphia resident said they're currently unemployed without any income, because chronic illnesses make it difficult to leave the apartment. Until they can secure LIHEAP assistance to run their gas-fired heater, Steele-Caleñe plans to rely on an electric space heater in their bedroom. They're enrolled in an assistance program that caps their monthly electric bill.
"I'll just go into one room," Steele-Caleñe said. "I'll close the door, and I'll spend most of the time there."
Until recently, Justina Ray owed several hundred dollars on her energy bill. But after hearing her story, an NPR listener reached out and paid her overdue balance.
Ray called this a "blessing," but said going forward, she still expects to struggle to make ends meet. She said the LIHEAP delay and uncertainty around SNAP may force her to miss a car payment, skip holiday traditions with her kids or travel less to visit family.
Ray said her family plans to bundle up — rather than turn on their heat anytime soon.
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