More Americans Are Getting Their Electricity Cut Off
- In lingering effect of Great Recession, shut-offs stay high
- Trump wanted to scrap $3.4 billion in assistance to nonpayers
This article is for subscribers only.
More than 900,000 homes went dark in Texas last summer because of unpaid bills, almost triple the number 10 years ago. In California last year, it was 714,000, the most on record. The tally across the country is in the millions, a sign of the economic stress that lingers after the Great Recession.
Utilities are disconnecting more households as President Donald Trump moved to end $3.4 billion in federal energy-bill help for the poorest Americans. Congress voted to reinstate the funding, but the administration has yet to release the money.