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WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko slammed actions by the Trump Administration to steal funding from vital substance abuse, mental health and home heating programs. The Trump Administration plans to shift more than $5 million in funding appropriated for addressing the overdose and suicide epidemics and more than $37 million from the Low Income Home Energy Program (LIHEAP) in order to fund coronavirus response efforts. LIHEAP provides heating assistance to low-income people, including more than 1 million New Yorkers each year.

“The Trump Administration is incapable of doing anything—even something with bipartisan support to respond to an urgent public health emergency—without trying to take from Americans that need our assistance the most,” Congressman Tonko said. “In the midst of the ongoing drug overdose and suicide epidemics that kill tens of thousands of Americans annually, it’s unconscionable for the President to steer funding away from programs that offer hope and a path to recovery for those struggling with these diseases of despair, or to reduce assistance that helps families heat their homes in the wintertime. Congress can fund a robust response to the coronavirus without taking a cent from the most vulnerable among us. Even by this Administration’s standards, today’s announcement is unnecessary and cruel.

“It is now up to leaders in Congress to put together a robust response to the coronavirus. We must ensure that we not only stop it from spreading, but also develop affordable vaccines and assist businesses and individuals that are disproportionately impacted by the outbreak. I hope my colleagues in both parties will reject the misguided attempt by the Trump Administration to pit one group against another and instead work together to tackle this crisis in a responsible manner.”

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