FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2025
CONTACT
Chelsea Barnes
Director of Government Affairs and Strategy
chelsea@appvoices.org
614-205-6424
Washington, D.C. – Today, President Donald Trump released an overview of his Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal.
It proposes to eliminate or drastically cut back services for many programs that Appalachians use to make ends meet, create jobs and invest in our communities.
- Proposes to completely eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and offers no alternative financial support for residents who need help with their utility bills. LIHEAP helps over 6 million households with their energy bills by providing block grants to states, which states use to help weatherize homes or provide one-time bill payment assistance. The program has become an essential source of support as energy costs have risen.
- Proposes a full elimination of the Economic Development Administration. EDA provides support for locally-driven projects that expand economic opportunities in small communities across the country, with a focus on areas historically reliant on the coal industry. The bipartisan Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act, passed in December 2024, authorized $75 million per year in dedicated economic development funding for coal communities.
- Proposes a full elimination of the AmeriCorps program. AmeriCorps fellows help schools, nonprofits and other vital organizations in rural communities that don’t have the resources to hire full-time staff. The fellows gain valuable experience that prepares them for the workforce and allows them to serve their communities.
- Proposes cutting $19 billion from the Department of Energy, targeted to decimate the United States’ ability to lead the world in energy innovation that can meet our electricity needs, create new jobs in communities founded on energy production and preserve our clean air and water.
- Proposes cutting $646 million from FEMA’s non-disaster programs, potentially limiting how communities can protect themselves from floods that continue to devastate our region. The proposal would also eliminate $564 million from the U.S. Geological Survey, which installs and operates streamgages that alert communities to rising water levels during floods.
“For decades, LIHEAP has helped people make ends meet, and cutting the program without any alternative solutions is going to be a shock to many Appalachian households,” said Director of Public Power Campaigns Bri Knisley. “People in rural areas of Appalachia disproportionately live in housing that is older, less energy efficient and poorly insulated. Some households in our region are paying as much as 25% or more of their income on utility bills.”
“Communities across Appalachia know the perils of basing our economy on a single industry or employer, and we don’t intend to return to company towns reliant on industry barons. The president’s proposed budget shows a drastic disinvestment from building new local economies and innovating our energy sources to help rural communities become more resilient,” said Government Affairs Specialist Kevin Zedack. “We look forward to working with Congress to elevate local voices on the benefits of federal investment in Appalachia and ensure our tax dollars are put to good use through this year’s budgeting process.”
“The administration is expected to release a more detailed budget later this month, but the toplines we see today spell disaster for people who live in rural areas,” said Director of Government Affairs and Strategy Chelsea Barnes. “Congress still has the opportunity to write a budget that fully funds programs that are essential to Appalachians.”
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