A federal judge on Friday ordered President Donald Trump’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to unfreeze federal funding to Maine, as the administration continues to battle the Democrat-run state over transgender athletes.
District Court Judge John Woodcock issued a temporary restraining order in the case brought by Maine against the USDA, although he noted his order does not weigh in on the larger dispute surrounding Maine allowing trans-identifying males on female sports teams and in female spaces.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on April 2 that the agency had begun freezing federal funds to Maine because of Democrat Gov. Janet Mills’ refusal to bar transgender-identifying boys from competing in girls’ sports. The USDA said it paused distribution of funds after sending multiple requests to Mills urging her to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order and Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities receiving federal funding.
“You cannot openly violate federal law against discrimination in education and expect federal funding to continue unabated,” Rollins said in the letter. “Your defiance of federal law has cost your state, which is bound by Title IX in educational programming. Today, I am freezing Maine’s federal funds for certain administrative and technological functions in schools.”
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey subsequently filed a complaint in federal court describing the funding pause as “illegally withholding grant funds that go to keeping children fed.”
Frey alleged that the child nutrition program of the Maine Department of Education is unable to access several sources of funding because of the USDA’s action. Rollins specifically said in her letter addressing the freeze that the “pause does not impact federal feeding programs or direct assistance to Mainers; if a child was fed today, they will be fed tomorrow.”
“The lawsuit states that the child nutrition program received or was due to receive more than $1.8 million for the current fiscal year. Prior year funds that were awarded but are currently inaccessible total more than $900,000, the lawsuit states,” according to the report. “The lawsuit also says that the program was anticipating about $3 million that is typically awarded every July for summer meal program sponsor administration and meal reimbursement.”
In her letter, Rollins did not state which program funds are being paused or a specific amount, but she said the freeze would end immediately if Mills complies with federal law.
“This is only the beginning, though you are free to end it at any time by protecting women and girls in compliance with federal law,” Rollins wrote.
Both the Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) subsequently launched investigations into the state and ultimately found the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) and other entities in violation of Title IX.
On Friday, Maine responded to a letter from the DOE and refused to sign a resolution agreeing to comply with the Trump administration’s interpretation of Title IX. The state told the department, “We agree that we are at an impasse.”
Share your thoughts by scrolling down to leave a comment.
