Cuts to the administrative staff that oversees the Low Income Home Energy Affordability Program have made little noise among Republican senators on Capitol Hill. But Republicans whose constituents could be among the most affected are reaching out directly to the administration about their concerns.
Asked about the staffing cuts, Sen. Dan Sullivan’s office told NOTUS earlier this month that the senator — who represents Alaska, which experiences one of the highest energy costs per capita in the country — had “an extended phone call” with Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose department is home to the program.
“Their conversations focused on extending some Alaska-specific programs, as well as larger solutions to address Alaska’s unique healthcare needs and challenges that one-size-fits-all approaches from Washington, D.C. often do not address,” Sullivan’s office told NOTUS in a statement. “The senator’s staff subsequently reached out to HHS with a more specific list of programs to extend, including the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.”