The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will release $20 million in funding for previously approved farm contracts that were frozen due to the Trump administration’s federal overhaul, the agency announced Thursday.
This amount is a small fraction of the USDA funding halted after a White House directive froze federal loans and grants. Though the memo was rescinded and blocked in court, a judge noted that the government was still withholding funds.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that the released funds will honor existing contracts with farmers. The money will support the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
Some frozen funds are linked to conservation efforts under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which allocated $19.5 billion over a decade for farm programs. Rollins said the agency is reviewing IRA-backed grants distributed under the Biden administration.
The USDA is conducting a broad review of over 400 programs as part of the government’s restructuring. The Trump administration has maintained that farm assistance programs would remain unaffected.
However, the freeze has already disrupted aid for ranchers needing cattle watering systems and corn growers planting cover crops to reduce wind erosion.
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