CLIMATEWIRE | Money for a key Biden initiative designed to make the food system more climate-friendly was among the first programs hit in a funding freeze imposed by President Donald Trump.

The initiative is the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, which involves contracts with dozens of companies and nonprofit organizations to develop programs to lower methane emissions from rice production, reduce the carbon footprint of beef and increase the use of cover crops.

USDA designated about $3 billion in grants for the program from the Commodity Credit Corporation, money USDA uses to buy farm commodities and for a range of needs including disaster relief. Trump used the CCC in his first term to pay farmers crushed by high tariffs.

The Trump administration on Tuesday put “a temporary suspension on all actions related to grants, including Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grants," according to an email obtained by POLITICO.

“This is a fluid situation, and we ask for your patience as we work to gain additional clarification for you in the coming days,” the email said.

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