Maine, Trump admin settle lawsuit over frozen funds after transgender athlete battle
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey announced Friday that the state has reached a settlement with the Trump administration after the federal government took away funding to Maine's schools over its transgender athlete policies.
'It's unfortunate that my office had to resort to federal court just to get USDA to comply with the law and its own regulations. But we are pleased that the lawsuit has now been resolved and that Maine will continue to receive funds as directed by Congress to feed children and vulnerable adults,' Frey said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) froze money to the state's education programs after it refused to comply with President Trump's executive order that said transgender women could not compete on girls' sports teams.
In the complaint, the state said the action was 'blatantly unlawful' and made it difficult to feed children in schools as the pause targeted programs for children and adult nutrition.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a letter sent to Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) that the funding would be paused 'for certain administrative and technological functions in schools.'
The Hill has reached out to USDA for comment.
The freeze in funds came after the departments of Education and Health and Human Services said Maine had violated Title IX anti-discrimination laws by allowing transgender athletes to play in female sports.
Maine's governor has said the investigation was politically targeted after she got into an argument with President Trump over the issue of transgender athletes.
'I'm complying with state and federal law,' Mills told Trump after he asked if the governor would comply with his executive order.
'We are the federal law. You better do it because you're not going to get federal funding,' Trump told her at the time.
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