The utility company PG&E says it will support customers who suffered hardship amid the federal government shutdown, which temporarily curtailed funding for several critical safety net programs.
“We are concerned anytime our customers are having trouble paying a bill. So we have put multiple steps in place to help those who are suffering hardship,” said David McCulloch, Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at PG&E, in an interview with American Community Media.
The Senate voted to end the government shutdown on Nov. 10, the House did the same on the afternoon of Nov. 12. But as the federal government re-opens this week, PG&E customers accessing federal safety net programs — such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps roughly 6 million low-income families pay their utility bills through federal grants — may still experience financial hardship due to weeks of lost assistance during the shutdown.
President Donald Trump fired the entire staff of the LIHEAP program in April. 1 and called for the program to end. However, Congress has allocated $4.2 billion to LIHEAP through fiscal year 2026.
In an interview on Nov. 7 on the sidelines of ACoM’s annual Expo and Awards ceremony at PG&E headquarters in Oakland, McCulloch noted several PG&E programs aiming to address financial hardship. One such program is “Match My Payment,” available to low-income customers with a past-due balance of over $100. For every dollar the customer pays towards an overdue balance, PG&E matches it, up to $1,000.
A similar program is the Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help — REACH — which helps low-income families who have received a disconnection notice, with an energy credit up to $300.
“The most important thing is if there are customers who are suffering hardship, get in touch with us. Don’t suffer and feel like there aren’t solutions that we can offer you,” said McCulloch. “If you can’t pay your bill right now, we can help you with a payment plan. We absolutely want to help. We don’t want anybody to be suffering hardship during the shutdown or any other time,” he said.
