Archive · 13 Nov 2025
USDA Staff Ordered to Review Grants for 'Diversity' and 'Climate Change' Terms
Imagine the government has different pots of money, called grants, to help people and projects.
The USDA, which is part of the government that helps farmers and food, was told to look through these money pots.
They had to search for specific words like 'diversity' and 'climate change' in the descriptions of these grants.
The goal was to see if they could stop giving money to some of these projects.
President Trump wanted to reduce programs about helping different groups of people and about protecting the environment.
The USDA found about 600 grants that used these words and decided to stop them.
These grants were for things like helping farmers be more environmentally friendly and getting healthy food to people who need it.
Some people believe this hurts programs that help small farmers and people in need.
USDA staff were instructed to identify grants for possible termination based on terms related to diversity and climate change.
This action was part of a broader federal campaign to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and climate regulation under President Trump's directives.
Specific search terms included 'diversity,' 'equity,' 'inclusion,' 'environmental justice,' 'socially vulnerable,' 'climate modeling,' and 'carbon pricing.'
The USDA has terminated around 600 grants totaling over $3 billion, according to the Department of Government Efficiency.
The terminated grants supported work such as technical aid for climate-friendly farming, local food purchases for schools, and nutrition improvement programs.
- Who
- US Department of Agriculture (USDA) staff
- What
- Directed to identify grants related to diversity and climate change for potential termination.
- When
- In the early months of the second Trump administration, with memos dated February 6 and February 24.
- Where
- US Department of Agriculture
- Why
- To comply with President Trump's directives to end diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and climate regulation in the federal government.
Grant Termination Advocates
Grant Recipients and Advocates
Rationale for Grant Review
Grant Termination Advocates
The review aligns with President Trump's directives to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and climate regulation, aiming to 'establish a return to American principles and realign the Department's focus towards its original objectives' of promoting agriculture, ensuring safe food, and protecting national forests.
Grant Recipients and Advocates
The termination of grants, including those related to climate-friendly practices, local food purchases, and nutrition improvement, has impacted organizations' ability to create a fairer food system and support small local farmers.
Scope of Review Terms
Grant Termination Advocates
The review utilized specific terms like 'diversity,' 'equity,' 'inclusion,' 'DEI,' 'environmental justice,' 'socially vulnerable,' 'climate modeling,' 'carbon pricing,' and 'biodiversity and ecosystem resilience' to identify grants for potential termination.
Grant Recipients and Advocates
The grants reviewed included funding for technical support for farmers using climate-friendly practices, local food purchases for schools, and improving nutrition for those receiving federal food aid.
- Agency
- US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Directive Origin
- President Donald Trump's directives on DEI and climate regulation
- Review Focus Terms
- Diversity, equity, inclusion, DEI, environmental justice, socially vulnerable, climate change, carbon pricing, biodiversity
- Grant Termination Figures
- Approximately 600 grants totaling over $3 billion terminated
- Documents Obtained By
- FarmSTAND (legal advocacy group)
- Key USDA Officials Involved
- Ralph Linden, Lynn Moaney, John Rapp, Chelsea Cole
- Impacted Grant Work
- Technical support for climate-friendly farming, local food purchases, nutrition improvement