Trump admin cuts funding to Maine universities as state defies order to ban trans athletes from women's sports
SUMMARY
The Trump administration’s pulling the plug—temporarily—on funding for the University of Maine System (UMS), eight public colleges caught in a showdown with the feds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture hit pause Tuesday, citing Maine’s refusal to follow Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. A UMS spokesperson confirmed the news, saying an email from the USDA’s finance office ordered a hold on payments while it checks for Title IX and VI slip-ups. Last year, UMS got nearly $30 million from the USDA for research; the feds say it’s topped $100 million lately. Trump first warned Maine on February 20, doubling down in his March 4 Congress speech. Governor Janet Mills fired back, promising a legal fight if funds dry up. Things got heated at a governors’ meeting, sparking Education Department probes and a Health and Human Services nod to the DOJ over Title IX breaches.
