Two federal programs that Greene County residents use may see major reductions or be completely eliminated by President Donald Trump’s Administration.

Greene County New Opportunities Coordinator Teresa Lansman says she’s heard that the Trump Administration wants to make changes and/or possibly eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). She notes the LIHEAP point system in how much households would receive to help pay for their energy bills.

“But we have been able to be stable with how much the points are worth the last three to four years. But those points go down and an average household might be $300 to $400, and if the point worth goes down, it might be $100 to $200. That’s barely a month that we’re helping the families with.”

As for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, also known as the Food Stamp program, the Trump Administration is looking to have food delivered to people’s homes instead of allowing those that qualify to purchase their own items from a debit card. Lansman sees this change as having a possible impact locally.

“Some of the smaller towns, the convenience stores might rely on some of that funding that’s coming in. And the local grocery stores, for a town our size, and with such a large population that’s using the SNAP program, it could definitely affect some of the grocery stores.”

Lansman adds that if legislators see numbers decreasing for either of these programs, she believes that the legislators could cut funding altogether. She urges anyone who wants to see these programs continue for Greene County to contact their federal lawmakers.