Maine sues over USDA pause on funds due to support for transgender athletes
Source: Reuters
April 7, 2025 3:03 PM EDT Updated 2 hours ago
April 7 (Reuters) - The state of Maine on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision to freeze federal funding for education programs in the state over its refusal to ban transgender women from sports.
The lawsuit came days after USDA announced the freeze, one of several actions President Donald Trump's administration had taken against the state since Democratic Maine Governor Janet Mills clashed with the Republican over the issue of transgender athletes during a White House event in February.
During the February 21 meeting with governors, Trump threatened to withhold funds from Maine if it did not comply with an executive order he signed banning transgender athletes from playing girls' and womens' sports. Mills responded: "We're going to follow the law, sir. We'll see you in court." USDA did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
The U.S. Department of Education under Trump last month said education officials in the state were violating the Title IX federal anti-discrimination law by allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports and use girls' facilities. Maine officials have declined to comply with Trump's demands. Maine legislators in 2021 updated a state law to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/maine-sues-over-usda-pause-funds-over-support-transgender-athletes-2025-04-07/
Link to LAWSUIT (PDF) - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/lbpgwzmojpq/04072025maine.pdf