When the Government Accountability Office released its 2013 list of “high-risk areas,” it was no surprise that climate change was listed at the top, as President Obama has been adamant about fighting climate change.

So it also came as no surprise that, despite the federal government’s massive deficits and national debt, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded $19.5 million recently to two institutions to study the effects of weather and climate change on cows.