The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has halted federal funding to Maine, citing the state’s refusal to comply with a federal directive on gender-based participation in educational programs.
The department also launched an extensive review of grants previously awarded to Maine under the Biden administration, suggesting that many were "wasteful, redundant, or otherwise against the priorities of the Trump Administration," reported the Fox News.
The move comes after Maine refused to enforce President Donald Trump’s executive order, issued in February, which bars transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Secretary of Agriculture Brooks Rollins confirmed the funding freeze, emphasizing that federal dollars will only be restored if Maine aligns with Title IX protections for female athletes.
“In order to continue to receive taxpayer dollars from USDA, the state of Maine must demonstrate compliance with Title IX which protects female student athletes from having to compete with or against or having to appear unclothed before males,” Rollins stated in a letter to Maine officials.
Maine’s policies regarding transgender athlete participation have been the subject of intense national debate. GOP state Rep. Laurel Libby brought renewed attention to the issue after identifying a transgender track and field athlete at Greely High School who had placed first in a girls’ pole vault competition, having previously competed in the boys’ division. Her social media post sparked widespread discussion but also led to her censure by the Democratic-controlled Maine House for allegedly identifying a minor. Libby has since taken legal action to have the censure overturned.
“Governor Janet Mills and Maine Democrats have chosen to dig their heels in and embrace radical left-wing ideology over the safety and rights of Maine women and girls. Despite repeated warnings from President Trump, Maine Democrats continued to defy federal law, forcing Maine girls to unfairly compete against biological males,” Libby told Fox News Digital.
“As a result, Maine’s Democrat majority has poised Maine students to lose hundreds of millions in federal funding, starting with our USDA funding, instead of championing Maine girls by adhering to federal law. I continue to stand firmly with Maine girls and President Trump in the pursuit of sanity and fairness. I implore Maine Democrats to abandon this incredibly harmful and radical gender ideology for the sake of our students.”
The US Department of Education has also intervened, warning the Maine Department of Education that it has until April 11 to address the issue or face further action, including a possible referral to the Department of Justice. The Department of Health and Human Services has already referred Maine’s case to the DOJ for review.
Wednesday’s decision by the USDA marks the second time this year the department has suspended funding to Maine. Last month, federal funding was temporarily withheld from the University of Maine System while officials examined its adherence to Title IX policies. That funding was reinstated days later after the university system was found to be in compliance. However, the primary controversy over transgender inclusion in sports remains at the high school level.
Multiple female athletes in Maine have voiced concerns about competing against transgender students. Cassidy Carlisle, a high school student, shared her experience of being placed in a locker room with a transgender peer in middle school and later competing against another transgender athlete in Nordic skiing.
“The defeat that comes with that in that moment is heartbreaking,” Carlisle said. “I'm just in shock in a way. I didn't believe it. … I didn't think it was happening to me.”
A recent survey conducted by the American Parents Coalition found that a majority of Maine voters support restrictions on transgender participation in women’s sports. Out of approximately 600 registered voters surveyed, 63% said school sports participation should be determined by biological sex, while 66% agreed that it is “only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women.” The poll also revealed that 60% of respondents—including 64% of independents and 66% of parents with children under 18—would back a ballot measure limiting female sports to biological women.
More repercussions may be on the horizon for Maine as federal agencies ramp up pressure. If the state fails to meet the administration’s demands, additional sanctions could be imposed in the coming week, further threatening Maine’s access to federal resources.
The department also launched an extensive review of grants previously awarded to Maine under the Biden administration, suggesting that many were "wasteful, redundant, or otherwise against the priorities of the Trump Administration," reported the Fox News.
The move comes after Maine refused to enforce President Donald Trump’s executive order, issued in February, which bars transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Secretary of Agriculture Brooks Rollins confirmed the funding freeze, emphasizing that federal dollars will only be restored if Maine aligns with Title IX protections for female athletes.
“In order to continue to receive taxpayer dollars from USDA, the state of Maine must demonstrate compliance with Title IX which protects female student athletes from having to compete with or against or having to appear unclothed before males,” Rollins stated in a letter to Maine officials.
Maine’s policies regarding transgender athlete participation have been the subject of intense national debate. GOP state Rep. Laurel Libby brought renewed attention to the issue after identifying a transgender track and field athlete at Greely High School who had placed first in a girls’ pole vault competition, having previously competed in the boys’ division. Her social media post sparked widespread discussion but also led to her censure by the Democratic-controlled Maine House for allegedly identifying a minor. Libby has since taken legal action to have the censure overturned.
“Governor Janet Mills and Maine Democrats have chosen to dig their heels in and embrace radical left-wing ideology over the safety and rights of Maine women and girls. Despite repeated warnings from President Trump, Maine Democrats continued to defy federal law, forcing Maine girls to unfairly compete against biological males,” Libby told Fox News Digital.
“As a result, Maine’s Democrat majority has poised Maine students to lose hundreds of millions in federal funding, starting with our USDA funding, instead of championing Maine girls by adhering to federal law. I continue to stand firmly with Maine girls and President Trump in the pursuit of sanity and fairness. I implore Maine Democrats to abandon this incredibly harmful and radical gender ideology for the sake of our students.”
The US Department of Education has also intervened, warning the Maine Department of Education that it has until April 11 to address the issue or face further action, including a possible referral to the Department of Justice. The Department of Health and Human Services has already referred Maine’s case to the DOJ for review.
Wednesday’s decision by the USDA marks the second time this year the department has suspended funding to Maine. Last month, federal funding was temporarily withheld from the University of Maine System while officials examined its adherence to Title IX policies. That funding was reinstated days later after the university system was found to be in compliance. However, the primary controversy over transgender inclusion in sports remains at the high school level.
Multiple female athletes in Maine have voiced concerns about competing against transgender students. Cassidy Carlisle, a high school student, shared her experience of being placed in a locker room with a transgender peer in middle school and later competing against another transgender athlete in Nordic skiing.
“The defeat that comes with that in that moment is heartbreaking,” Carlisle said. “I'm just in shock in a way. I didn't believe it. … I didn't think it was happening to me.”
A recent survey conducted by the American Parents Coalition found that a majority of Maine voters support restrictions on transgender participation in women’s sports. Out of approximately 600 registered voters surveyed, 63% said school sports participation should be determined by biological sex, while 66% agreed that it is “only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women.” The poll also revealed that 60% of respondents—including 64% of independents and 66% of parents with children under 18—would back a ballot measure limiting female sports to biological women.
More repercussions may be on the horizon for Maine as federal agencies ramp up pressure. If the state fails to meet the administration’s demands, additional sanctions could be imposed in the coming week, further threatening Maine’s access to federal resources.
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