The United States government announced Monday that it will spend more than $3 billion to protect environmental protection, including from air pollution, wildfires, acid rain and extreme weather events.
The government will also fund research to better understand how to protect against such threats.
The spending, which was announced at a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House, comes as the Trump administration grapples with the fallout from its response to the deadly blizzard and fires in Texas.
President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a review of its response and proposed a series of additional rules and regulations aimed at reducing pollution.
The EPA was already under heavy pressure from environmentalists and the business community to curb pollution after the agency released a report this month that said it had overshot its target of reducing emissions from power plants.
The report was widely criticized as having ignored the most urgent needs of the American public.
The new plan to pay for the efforts comes on the heels of the $1.6 billion in federal aid to states to deal with extreme weather, including the $600 million in funding to provide $100 million to states for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
The funding also will provide $300 million in emergency flood-related grants to state and local governments to aid in the recovery of natural resources damaged by floods and hurricanes.
The president also announced that he has authorized the creation of an Emergency Management Corps to coordinate federal relief efforts and support state and community preparedness.
The Department of Defense (DoD) will also receive $1 billion to fund programs to address the threat of cyberattacks.
The White House also announced the establishment of a cyber intelligence sharing program, the National Cybersecurity Centre, and the National Disaster Mitigation Center to coordinate responses to natural disasters.
