The U.S. Department of Agriculture is launching an investigation into the University of Maine’s Title IX compliance.
The agency announced its probe over the weekend after President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding from Maine for allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.
The investigation comes after a heated conversation between Governor Janet Mills and Trump at a White House gathering of the National Governor’s Association.
The President told Mills the state would lose federal funding if it didn’t comply with his executive order barring transgender participation in women’s sports, to which Mills said “See you in court.”
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins released a statement Saturday, announcing a “compliance review of the University of Maine following the State of Maine’s blatant disregard for President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
“President Trump has made it abundantly clear: taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars will not support institutions that discriminate against women,” said Rollins. “USDA is committed to upholding the President’s executive order, meaning any institution that chooses to disregard it can count on losing future funding.”
The new release from Secretary Rollins said the University of Maine receives over $100 million in USDA funding.
The USDA investigation follows the announcement Friday the federal Department of Education was launching a separate investigation into the state’s Education Department and Maine School Administrative District #51 (MSAD #51), the school district for Cumberland and North Yarmouth.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is conducting the investigation after a transgender athlete from Greely High School won a girl’s track and field event last Monday.
“Maine would have you believe that it has no choice in how it treats women and girls in athletics—that is, that it must follow its state laws and allow male athletes to compete against women and girls,” saidCraig Trainor, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. “Let me be clear: If Maine wants to continue to receive federal funds from the Education Department, it has to follow Title IX. If it wants to forgo federal funds and continue to trample the rights of its young female athletes, that, too, is its choice. OCR will do everything in its power to ensure taxpayers are not funding blatant civil rights violators.”
Governor Mills released a statement following the Department of Education’s announcement.
“No President – Republican or Democrat – can withhold Federal funding authorized and appropriated by Congress and paid for by Maine taxpayers in an attempt to coerce someone into compliance with his will. It is a violation of our Constitution and of our laws, which I took an oath to uphold,” said Mills.
But do not be misled: this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot.”
