The decision came in response to a petition by attorneys general in 22 states and Washington, D.C., seeking to block the administration's efforts to freeze payments for grants and other programs.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's philanthropy and other U.S. funders said on Thursday they will cover U.S. financial obligations to the UN climate framework after President Donald Trump called for the U.S. to withdraw - for a second time - from the Paris climate agreement.