USDA HALTS FUNDING TO UNIVERSITY OF MAINE SYSTEM – The state faces federal scrutiny for refusing to comply with barring transgender athletes from women’s sports
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has suspended funding to the University of Maine System (UMS) as the state faces federal scrutiny for refusing to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order barring transgender athletes from women’s sports, according to UMS officials.
The decision comes as the USDA reviews potential Title 9 and Title 6 violations by the university system. Maine’s defiance of Trump’s directive has drawn national attention, particularly after the president reaffirmed his commitment to penalizing states that allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports during his March 4 address to Congress.
Trump’s administration has now followed through on its warning. The president first threatened to cut funding to Maine during a Feb. 20 meeting with Republican governors at the White House. The next day, Governor Janet Mills responded by threatening legal action against the administration if federal funding was withheld. Their dispute escalated further when the two clashed in a widely publicized exchange at the White House during a bipartisan governors’ meeting.
Shortly after their confrontation, the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into Maine’s policies on transgender athletes and potential Title 9 violations. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has already determined that the state and its education department violated Title 9 by permitting transgender athletes to compete, and it has referred the matter to the U.S. Department of Justice for further action.
