Federal utility assistance program that helps Arizona families faces elimination

The Trump administration wants to cut a program that provides over $30 million a year to help Arizonans with their electric bills.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 12:53am

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A photorealistic painting of a lone electric meter on the side of a simple suburban home, the meter casting a long shadow in the warm, golden light of the afternoon sun, conveying a sense of quiet melancholy and the precariousness of essential services for vulnerable communities.As federal utility assistance faces elimination, the impact on struggling Arizona families could be severe.Phoenix Today

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides more than $30 million a year to help Arizonans with their electric bills, is facing elimination under President Trump's recent budget proposal. This could have a significant impact on thousands of struggling Arizona families as gas prices, groceries, and monthly utility bills continue to rise.

Why it matters

The elimination of this federal utility assistance program would be a major blow to low-income Arizona households already strained by rising costs of living. Without this aid, many families could fall behind on utility bills, face power shutoffs, or have to make difficult choices between paying for essentials like food and medicine.

The details

The Trump administration's $1.5 trillion budget proposal to Congress does not include funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps 6 million families nationwide and about 100,000 Arizonans pay their monthly gas and electric bills. Trump officials claim the program is unnecessary because individual states can prevent utility shut-offs on their own, but nonprofit groups argue this does not cancel customer bills and would have a devastating impact on many households.

  • The Trump administration released its $1.5 trillion budget proposal to Congress in 2026.
  • In Arizona, there is a moratorium on utility disconnections from June through October.

The players

Trump administration

The current presidential administration that has proposed eliminating the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

A federal program that provides over $30 million a year to help Arizonans with their electric bills.

APS

An Arizona utility company that is proposing a 14% rate hike for customers this year.

Xavier Gonzalez

The assistant director of Tempe Community Action Alliance, who argues that being able to keep one's house cool is an essential need for Arizona families.

Mark Wolfe

The executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, who warns that the loss of this funding would have a devastating impact on many households.

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What they’re saying

“Being able to keep your house cool is an essential need for our families here in the Valley. It's a matter of survival and in order to keep cool we have to run our A/C at a comfortable temperature.”

— Xavier Gonzalez, Assistant Director, Tempe Community Action Alliance

“The concern is for 6 million households that receive this funding. If they lose it, many would fall behind on utility bills. Some would get shut off from power. Some would go to payday loans. They'd buy less food, cut back on medicine. It's an essential good.”

— Mark Wolfe, Executive Director, National Energy Assistance Directors Association

What’s next

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has prevented the elimination of this energy assistance program in the past, and nonprofit groups are hoping those lawmakers will continue to keep the program going.

The takeaway

The potential elimination of this federal utility assistance program could have severe consequences for thousands of low-income Arizona families already struggling with rising costs of living. It highlights the ongoing debate over the role of government in providing essential services to vulnerable populations.