A Trump administration decision to fire staff administering an energy aid program is now facing bipartisan pushback, as one New York Republican panned the layoffs this week.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) wrote a letter Monday to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. condemning the firings of people running the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The entire staff overseeing LIHEAP was placed on administrative leave earlier this month and is set to be terminated June 2.
The program provides heating and cooling assistance to some 6 million households. It recently received $378 million in the March spending bill to prevent a government shutdown.
In his letter this week, Lawler asked Kennedy to ensure staff remains in place to continue to disburse LIHEAP funds.
