Cuts to LIHEAP and the Weatherization Assistance Program in the president’s 2018 fiscal year budget could hit Pennsylvania residents hard, and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is fighting to keep the assistance efforts coming by reaching out to the state’s congressional delegation.

The president’s proposed budget could put an end to those programs by cutting funding completely.Under the Department of Health and Human Services heading, the proposal lists the LIHEAP cut, along with the Community Services Block Grant, citing that the program is “unable to demonstrate strong performance outcomes.”The elimination of LIHEAP and the CSBG would save around $4.2 billion, according to estimates.On a local level, this could prove to be devastating for low-income households and senior citizens.Carbon County’s Area Agency on Aging administrator Susan Zeigler said that her office has assisted about 33 people with LIHEAP applications, in addition to the help provided at the agency’s five senior centers. And even when those residents have LIHEAP benefits, the office still receives requests for bill-pay assistance. Further cuts to the program could make matters even worse.“It would be devastating if funding for this program would cease to exist,” Zeigler said. “It would force the senior population to choose between having a heated home, taking their medications as prescribed, having food, and paying other household bills, and that is just a few choices they make. I have spoken to some seniors that keep their house at 62 degrees already to keep the heating bill affordable.”The Weatherization Assistance Program cut falls under the Department of Energy, with the federal government opting to reduce intervention “in state-level energy policy and implementation.”The precise amount of savings from trimming the WAP are unspecified, but the proposed budget claims that this measure, along with the elimination of the State Energy Program and changes in funding for several other energy offices and research and development, would allegedly save the government around $2 billion.According to a letter from the PUC to Sen. Bob Casey, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program benefits around 345,000 people in the state, providing money for heating bills during the winter. The Weatherization Assistance Program helps 1,500 low-income families save on utilities by installing energy efficiency measures in their homes.The PUC letter petitions the federal government to keep the funding in place, pointing out that LIHEAP and WAP are an absolute necessity for many people and families throughout harsh winters.“The commissioners emphasized that the LIHEAP and WAP programs are critical parts of the ‘safety net’ for vulnerable consumers — helping older residents, struggling families and individuals living with disabilities stay warm and safe during the winter months.Their letter encourages Congress to continue funding at least at the current level. The commissioners joined with Gov. (Tom) Wolf and others in supporting retention of these important programs,” the letter reads.Meanwhile,Wolfsaid that he supports bothprograms.Even with Wolf’s support, the future of LIHEAP remains questionable, with many Pennsylvania residents in fear of being put out in the cold next winter.“The goal in senior services is to assist consumers to age in place in their home,” Zeigler said. “This goal gets to be very challenging when essential programs like LIHEAP have no funding allocated.”