The White House wants to eliminate two federal programs Hidalgo County supports

EDINBURG, Texas - Jaime Longoria is executive director of Hidalgo County Community Service Agency.

He recently sat down for an interview with the Rio Grande Guardian about two of the federal programs his department administers.

They are the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). 

Both programs would be eliminated under President Trump’s 2027 Budget. Eliminating LIHEAP would save the government $4 billion, while doing away with CSBG would save $775 million, the White House says.

President Trump’s budget would have to win approval in Congress. Longoria says both programs are vital in Hidalgo County. He notes that CSBG has won bipartisan support in the past from the Rio Grande Valley’s congressional delegation. 

In the interview, Longoria gives examples of the effectiveness of both programs. About LIHEAP, he said:

“LIHEAP plays a crucial role in helping income-constrained families afford energy costs, preventing disconnections, and improving energy efficiency, ultimately impacting poverty levels and enhancing the overall well-being and safety of vulnerable households.”

Longoria pointed out that in fiscal year 2024, LIHEAP supported six million households across the country, helped weatherize 50,000 homes, prevented two million disconnections, and lifted 57,000 children and 78,000 seniors out of poverty.

Here is the interview:

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Longoria said he was encouraged by a letter U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez wrote in support of LIHEAP. 

In a letter to sent to both a US House committee chairman and ranking member, Gonzalez, D-McAllen, and other House Democrats criticized the White House’s proposal to cut funding for LIHEAP.

“Eliminating LIHEAP will further exacerbate the energy affordability crisis and the nearly impossible choices households face every day due to rising costs,” Gonzalez wrote.

“We thank the committee for rejecting President Trump’s budget proposal to eliminate LIHEAP over five different fiscal years. We urge the committee to again reject this proposal and instead fund LIHEAP to the highest amount possible for Fiscal Year 2027. ”

The White House has a different view about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

“The administration is committed to lowering energy costs for American families by unleashing energy production. For the sixth time, the budget proposes to end this program and instead support low income individuals through lower energy prices and an America First economic platform. 

“LIHEAP is unnecessary because states have policies preventing utility disconnection for low income households, affecting effectively making LIHEAP a pass through benefiting utility companies, particularly in the Northeast. The program rewards states such as New York and California, two of the top recipients for LIHEAP funding, which have implemented anti-energy and anti-consumer policies that drive up home energy prices. 

“LIHEAP as a history of program integrity concerns, including:

• 11,000 dead people, were used to fraudulently receive funds:
• More than 1,000 income ineligible federal employees received LIHEAP;
• People with million-dollar homes have received LIHEAP benefits;
• Hundreds of ineligible prisoners were used as LIHEAP applicants; and 
• A nursing home funded by Medicaid, used ineligible residence information to receive LIHEAP.”

The The White House also has a different view about the Community Services Block Grant.

“For the sixth time, the budget proposes to eliminate CSBG, a duplicative slush fund for woke Community Action Agencies. Government Accountability audits have noted that the program cannot demonstrate that it is meeting its purpose, which is to reduce the causes of poverty and promote self-sufficiency. 

“In addition, CSBG funds services that are duplicative of other programs, such as nutrition programs at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and employment and training programs at the Department of Labor and USDA, and its grantees receive support from numerous other federal programs. 

“Examples of wasteful spending include:

• Funding for the California Community Action Partnership Association that hosted focus groups on bringing Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) “to the forefront”;
• Funding for a community action agency in Wisconsin to “combine clean energy with affordable housing in the pursuit of both economic and environmental justice”; and
• Funding for Head Start centers that promoted picture books about gay penguins, lessons on how to grow children's “gender identity” and how to talk to toddlers about race.”