An internal email sent to the Agricultural Research Service allegedly directs the department not to release any public facing documents, but the Department of Agriculture says the email “was flawed” and that new guidance would be issued to replace it. According to Reuters, the email was sent Monday, the first business day of the new Donald Trump administration. The email directed ARS staff not publish press releases, photos, fact sheets or social media content until further notice. A similar memo was sent to staff of the Environmental Protection Agency. However, in a statement, USDA said peer-reviewed scientific papers from the unit should not be blocked, adding that ARS “is committed to maintaining the free flow of information between scientists and the American public.” The Agricultural Research Service is tasked with scientific research info issues facing agriculture, including long-term climate change.

The Donald Trump administration has ordered a freeze on grants and contracts from the Environmental Protection Agency and ordered EPA staff to halt external communications. A memo to EPA staff instructs the employees not to publish press releases, blog messages or social media postings. The memo also says media request will be carefully screened and no new content can be placed on any EPA website. Political analysts say the move is not uncommon, but further overreaching than a typical freeze by a new administration, according to the Huffington Post. The EPA awards roughly $4 billion in grant funding each year. President Trump and his transition team have promised a reduction of regulatory grasp by the EPA, specifically targeting Clean Air Act regulations and the Waters of the U.S. rule.

Trans-Pacific Partnership member nations are hoping to salvage the trade deal after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement by executive order. Fulfilling a campaign pledge, Trump signed the order this week, pulling the U.S. out of the massive trade deal. Both Australia and New Zealand remain hopeful the deal can be salvaged without the United States. Both nations talked with Japan on continuing the agreement, according to Reuters. Australia’s Prime Minister said the U.S. withdrawing from the deal is “a big loss,” but added there is potential for China to join the agreement. China has proposed a counter pact, the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific and has championed the Southeast Asia-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Meanwhile, TPP requires ratification by at least six countries accounting for 85 percent of the combined gross domestic product of the member nations. A meeting between the remaining TPP nations is expected in the coming months, according to a New Zealand trade official.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has instituted a media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants.

Emails sent to EPA staff since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press detailed the specific prohibitions banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency’s social media accounts.

The Trump administration has also ordered a “temporary suspension” of all new business activities at the department, including issuing task orders or work assignments to EPA contractors. The orders are expected to have a significant and immediate impact on EPA activities nationwide.

The EPA did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment Monday or Tuesday.

ChemChina has filed for U.S. antitrust approval with the Federal Trade Commission for its proposed $43 billion takeover of Syngenta. Bloomberg reports ChemChina has submitted documentation required by U.S. law and expects the U.S. antitrust process to be “on track.” The Justice Department and the FTC typically have 30 days to clear a proposal or issue a second request asking for more information and a longer review period. The proposed transaction already has been cleared by a U.S. national security panel and won antitrust approval in Australia. The European Union is currently reviewing the deal and has until April 12th to discuss remedy proposals that have been submitted. A Syngenta spokesperson says both companies remain fully committed to the transaction and are confident of its closing.

The list of candidates to serve as Deputy Agriculture Secretary boast familiar names to the Donald Trump administration. The Hagstrom Report says the list includes Charles Herbster, A.G. Kawamura (Cow-uh-more-uh) and Ted McKinney. Herbster of Nebraska was a big supporter during the Trump campaign and served on Trump’s agriculture advisory committee, Kawamura is a former California Agriculture Secretary and McKinney was Indiana agriculture director when Vice President Mike Pence was governor of Indiana. Meanwhile, Indiana farmer Kip Tom is considered a candidate for White House agricultural liaison. Taking over the Department of Agriculture for now is Michael Young, USDA’s Office of Budget and Program Analysis director. He will serve as acting secretary until the Senate confirms former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to the post. President Trump has sent policy adviser Sam Clovis to lead the transition at the department while USDA waits for the Senate to act. A team assisting Clovis will hire staff and begin crafting policy until Perdue is allowed to take office.

New President Donald Trump’s plan for the Environmental Protection Agency includes eliminating the Waters of the U.S. rule. The Trump administration calls WOTUS a burdensome regulation that is “harmful and unnecessary.” A leaked agency action plan for the administration lists WOTUS, along with Clean Air Act greenhouse gas regulations, the Clean Power Plan and the Total Maximum Daily Load Requirements in the Chesapeake Bay area as targeted initiatives to stop. Trump also wants to change how the agency uses science, saying unless major reforms are achieved, “the EPA will be able to return to its bad old ways” once a different administration takes office. Meanwhile, WOTUS will head to the Supreme Court this year to determine whether jurisdiction to hear a challenge to the lawfulness of the rule lies in the courts of appeal or federal district courts. The Trump administration could choose not to defend WOTUS in court, effectively killing enforcement of the rule.

President Donald Trump Monday followed through on a campaign promise by signing an executive order to remove the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. Trump also said he plans to begin renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. Agriculture groups demonstrated disappointment with the decision. American Soybean Association President Ron Moore said in a statement: “TPP held great promise for us.” Moore says ASA expects “to see a plan in place as soon as possible” to engage the 11 other TPP member nations on trade to “capture the value” lost from the withdrawal. American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says it is critical the new administration “begins work immediately” to develop new markets for agriculture. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Tracy Brunner said: “Sparking a trade war with Canada, Mexico, and Asia will only lead to higher prices for American-produced beef in those markets.” Brunner called foreign trade one of the greatest success stories for U.S. beef. The American Feed Industry Association condemned the action, saying trade deals like TPP are key to setting the terms and rules for future trade relationships.