(The Center Square) – The federal government shutdown has officially become the longest, and another vital deadline has passed for low-income Pennsylvanians.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, supports people with the cost of heating and utilities in the winter months. It was scheduled to begin in November.
Thanks to the shutdown, the program has been delayed, but the Pennsylvania Utilities Commission has negotiated agreements with providers to make sure the heat doesn’t turn off in homes that are eligible for the benefit. Gov. Josh Shapiro confirmed the commitment Wednesday.
“While the delayed start of LIHEAP continues to be a concern, I want to reassure families that utilities across Pennsylvania have told the PUC they have no intention of terminating service for LIHEAP-eligible customers during this current gap period,” said PUC Chairman Steve DeFrank on Tuesday.
Officials have emphasized that people still need to apply for relief. Those experiencing hardship or expecting to be unable to afford the winter increase need to call their utility providers in advance to set up assistance.
“Republicans in Washington have been unable to reopen the federal government, leading to real consequences here in Pennsylvania for those who rely on federal assistance to keep their homes warm and safe during the winter months,” said Shapiro. “Last week I signed a disaster declaration so that Pennsylvanians don’t suffer because Congress can’t do its job.”
The disaster declaration was in large part a response to the delay in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. It freed up $5 million to support the state’s food banks, but it also called attention to the oncoming impact of winter weather.
“For the first time in decades, economically vulnerable families across Pennsylvania are facing winter without assistance through LIHEAP,” said Elizabeth R. Marx, executive director of the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project and chair of the LIHEAP Advisory Committee. “The impact will be profound — especially for seniors, individuals with a disability, and families with young children who are disproportionately reliant on assistance through the program to heat their homes.”
There are more than 300,000 Pennsylvania taxpayers who rely on LIHEAP to afford high heating and utility bills each year. Rather than decreasing the benefit, many elected officials have argued for extending it into summer months when increasing temperatures have subsequently increased cooling costs.
State representatives gathered in Philadelphia on Monday to urge their federal counterparts to pass a budget.
“We are asking our colleagues down in Washington, D.C. to get back to work and to not leave the negotiation table because literally lives are on the line in this moment,” said Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Philadelphia. “And countless Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians and Americans are asking, what do they fund? Their health, their heat, their rent, or their mortgage?”
Rep. Andre Carroll, D-Philadelphia, noted that while workers see taxes come out of their paycheck to local, state, and federal governments, the only one currently operating for his constituents is the Philadelphia City Council.
The combined pinch of federal and state budget standoffs has communities struggling to stay afloat. Since July 1, taxpayers have given the state roughly $89 million each day, even as months have passed without any of it going into the programs it’s meant to support.
