Staff members of the Environmental Protection Agency have been instructed to freeze all grants in the agency’s extensive funding program, including, but not limited to, funds for environmental research, education, industrial site redevelopment, and air quality monitoring. Furthermore, staff have also received orders not to talk about the issue with anyone outside the agency, including the public and the press.

This news broke when an anonymous EPA staff member informed the congressional office about the development earlier this week, and it is unknown as to whether the freeze will be temporary or not. The Huffington Post published a message that was reportedly given to EPA staff on January 23, outlining tight controls on external communication:
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President Trump has signed an executive order that authorizes the construction of the wall that he promised would be built along the United States-Mexico border. To pay the massive bill that such an ambitious construction project would bring, Trump also proposed a 20 percent tariff on goods imported from countries that the U.S. has a trade deficit with, including the $50 billion deficit with Mexico. Trump says that this is his way of getting Mexico to pay for the wall, but in the end, it will be the American consumer that will be footing the bill.
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