Maine files lawsuit against the Trump administration over funding freeze in dispute concerning transgender athletes
In an unprecedented move, Maine hit back at the Trump administration this week, filing a lawsuit in federal court to contest the government's decision to freeze funds for Maine's education programs. The ongoing dispute between Maine, a Democratic-controlled state, and the Trump administration revolves around transgender athletes competing in high school sports.
The feud, which has been brewing for weeks, centers around the Title IX anti-discrimination law and transgender students participating in school sports. US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced earlier this month that the US Department of Agriculture would pause funds for Maine educational programs due to what she described as Maine's refusal to comply with Title IX regulations.
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey's complaint, filed on Monday, called the funding freeze "illegally withholding grant funds that go to keeping children fed." The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to halt the USDA from withholding funds until the case is heard.
In a statement, Frey stated emphatically that "the president and his Cabinet secretaries do not make the law and they are not above the law, and this action is necessary to remind the president that Maine will not be bullied into violating the law."
Maine's child nutrition program, which uses these funds to feed children in schools, childcare centers, and after-school programs, as well as benefiting disabled adults in congregate settings, is currently unable to access these funds due to the funding pause.
According to Frey, the child nutrition program was set to receive over $1.8 million for the current fiscal year and had prior year funds totaling over $900,000 that are now inaccessible. The program was also anticipating about $3 million in July for summer meal program sponsor administration and meal reimbursement.
The Trump administration, however, has vowed to cancel more federal funding if Maine does not bar transgender athletes from sports participation soon. Tensions between Maine and the Trump administration have been simmering since February when Trump threatened to pull funding from Maine if the state did not comply with his executive order barring transgender athletes from sports.
In February, Maine Governor Janet Mills told the president, "We'll see you in court."
The dispute over Title IX has significant implications for state funding, including child nutrition programs. Despite the ongoing legal battles, a temporary restraining order was issued on April 12 by U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock, directing the Trump administration to unfreeze federal aid to Maine, ensuring that funding for essential programs like child nutrition continues.
- Maine sued the Trump administration, reminding them that they cannot illegally withhold grant funds intended for keeping children fed, such as those used in the child nutrition program.
- The Trump administration has threatened to cancel more federal funding if Maine does not enforce compliance with Title IX regulations regarding transgender athletes' participation in school sports.
- Attorney General Aaron Frey, in his complaint filed in the dispute with the Trump administration, called the funding freeze a violation of the law and referred to the nutrition program as one of the programs adversely affected.
