The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) held back at least 45 peer-reviewed research papers on climate change during the Trump administration, a Politico investigation has found. The studies, which were completed and ready for publication, included evidence that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide is reducing the nutritional value of staple crops and that climate shifts are intensifying allergy seasons.
According to Politico, the USDA issued just four climate-related press releases during the entire four-year Trump presidency — the same number it put out in 2015 alone. The agency's communications strategy appears to have prioritized political messaging over scientific transparency, the investigation suggests.
Among the suppressed research was an international project examining rice, a dietary staple for roughly 600 million people. Scientists found that higher carbon dioxide levels caused rice to lose significant amounts of proteins, minerals, and vitamins. The findings had direct implications for global food security, yet the USDA blocked a press release on the work in May 2020 and pressured collaborating researchers to stay silent.
Irakli Loladze, a biologist at the University of Washington who worked on the rice study, told Politico he was disappointed by the agency's intervention. "I do not even work at the USDA, but a potential call from the government agency was enough of a threat for my school to skip participating in the press-package arranged by the journal," he said. Instead, his university issued a local, abbreviated release.
Other studies highlighted by Politico focused on conservation techniques farmers could adopt to protect their land, as well as the link between climate change and longer, more severe pollen seasons. Notably, the research did not address the causes of global warming or criticize the USDA; it only documented the impacts.
Why the Silence?
One USDA scientist, speaking anonymously to Politico, expressed frustration at the suppression. "Why the hell is the U.S., which is ostensibly the leader in science research, ignoring this?" the researcher said. "It's not like we're working on something that's esoteric … we're working on something that has dire consequences for the entire planet. You can only postpone reality for so long."
The investigation underscores a broader pattern of climate-related messaging being curtailed across federal agencies during the previous administration. While the USDA's mission includes safeguarding agricultural productivity, its decision to withhold scientific information has raised questions about the integrity of federal research dissemination.
Politico's report, published this week, relies on internal documents and interviews with more than a dozen current and former USDA officials. The agency has not publicly commented on the findings.
For farmers, policymakers, and the public, the buried studies represent a lost opportunity to prepare for climate-related challenges. The rice nutrition data, for example, could have informed breeding programs or fortification strategies. The allergy research might have helped public health officials anticipate seasonal surges.
The revelations also highlight the tension between political appointees and career scientists. The anonymous researcher's remark — "You can only postpone reality for so long" — captures the stakes as the effects of climate change become more visible in agriculture and daily life.
As the Biden administration reviews federal climate policy, the fate of these 45 studies remains unclear. Whether they will be released to the public or remain buried in agency files is a question that scientists and transparency advocates are now asking.
