A federal judge has mandated the Trump administration to unfreeze federal funding allocated to the state of Maine from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This funding had been withheld due to a controversial dispute between President Trump and Maine Governor Janet Mills regarding transgender athletes. On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock granted Maine's request for a temporary restraining order, allowing the state to access the funds that are critical for various programs.
The USDA is not the only agency involved in the federal funding crisis impacting Maine; several other governmental bodies have also threatened financial support. As of now, the USDA has yet to respond to requests for comments regarding the situation. The conflict between the Trump administration and the state of Maine traces back to an executive order issued by President Trump in early February, which prohibited transgender student athletes from participating in girls' sports teams. This order also stipulated that federal funds would be withdrawn from educational programs that allegedly compromised fair athletic opportunities for women and girls.
In direct opposition to the executive order, the Maine Principals' Association, the governing body for school sports in the state, announced that it would continue to permit trans girls to compete. The Association argued that federal directives conflict with existing state laws. The clash escalated during a governors' event at the White House on February 21, where Trump publicly admonished Governor Mills for her resistance to the executive order. "You better do it, because you're not going to get any federal funding at all if you don't," Trump warned Mills, to which she boldly replied, "See you in court."
Since this confrontation, President Trump has demanded a public apology from Governor Mills. He stated on social media, "We need a full-throated apology from the Governor herself, and a statement that she will never make such an unlawful challenge to the Federal Government again, before this case can be settled." In the wake of these events, the Trump administration has launched multiple investigations into Maine, focusing on compliance with Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, as reported by Maine Public Radio.
Earlier this month, the USDA became involved in the ongoing dispute. On April 2, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins notified Governor Mills that USDA funding for certain administrative and technological functions in schools would be paused due to the governor's defiance of federal law. It remains unclear how much financial aid would be affected by this pause; however, Rollins indicated that other areas of research and education-related funding would also undergo scrutiny.
In a decisive move, the state of Maine lodged a complaint on Monday, arguing that the USDA had failed to adhere to the necessary statutory and regulatory procedures before terminating federal funds. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey emphasized the importance of these funds, urging the court to reinstate the federal support, which plays a crucial role in providing meals to schoolchildren in Maine.
