Latest news with #AaronFrey
The Herald Scotland
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
USDA settles with Maine over funds and transgender athletes
"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," Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, a Democrat, said in a statement. USDA did not respond to a request for comment. The settlement does not affect the Trump administration's decision to sue Maine over allegations that it is violating Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs, or the U.S. Department of Education's decision to launch an administrative proceeding to cut off all federal education funding for Maine's public schools. The U.S. departments of Education and Justice claim that Maine is violating Title IX by allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls' and women's sports. The Education Department proceeding puts about $250 million Maine receives annually for school funding into jeopardy. The funding at issue with USDA was a smaller sum, about $3 million. Democratic Maine Governor Janet Mills clashed with the Republican president over the issue of transgender athletes during a White House event in February. At a 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 women's sports. "We're going to follow the law, sir," Mills responded. "We'll see you in court." USDA was the first agency to actually cut funding to Maine. But U.S. District Judge John Woodcock on April 11 concluded it likely did not comply with legal procedures when it froze funding and declared Maine was violating Title IX. Rather than litigate over whether a longer-term injunction should be issued, USDA agreed to not freeze or terminate the state's access to federal funds going forward without following all legally required procedures.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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 the USDA for comment. The freeze in funds came after the departments of Education and Health and Human Services said Maine had violated Title IX antidiscrimination laws by allowing transgender athletes to play in female sports. Maine's governor said the investigation was politically targeted after she got into an argument with 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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
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.
Fox News
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Maine attorney general says 'there are no concerns of safety' by letting trans athletes play in girls' sports
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey addressed the lawsuit filed against his state by the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday over the state's stance regarding transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports. In an interview with CNN, Frey defended his state's continued support for trans inclusion, insisting that "there are no issues of safety" for letting biological males compete with girls. "We've been working though to understand what, if any problem, exists with the participation. If some of the harms that are being alleged really are of some concern and what we've identified, there really are no concerns of safety," Frey said. Frey also said there are "no concerns" about trans athletes who are "just choosing" to compete in the girls' category. "There are no concerns about individuals who are just choosing which gender they want to give themselves in order to participate. So that too is really after a lot to work on whether or not there's any issue here that warrants this intrusion by the federal government on what's going on in Maine schools," Frey said. National awareness of trans athletes in Maine was ignited when state Rep. Laurel Libby identified a pole vault jumper who won a girls' competition for Greely High School after competing in the boys' category in previous seasons. Safety concerns over trans inclusion in girls' and women's sports were heightened nationally after former high school volleyball player Payton McNabb suffered a concussion, brain bleed and permanent whiplash after getting struck in the face with a volleyball hit by a trans athlete. Still, Frey insists that safety and competitive concerns are not on the radar of the Democratic officials in Maine, claiming they are only currently aware of two trans athletes competing in girls' sports in the state. "There is just a small number of trans students who are participating in sports, that two number is all that we've come up with," Frey said. He also suggested that Maine is following both state and federal law by allowing trans inclusion in girls' sports. "Our position is that Title IX, consistent with the Maine Human Rights Act, so both federal and state law, supports that trans girls will be able to participate in high school sports consistent with their gender identity," Frey said. "So my contention is Maine is following Title IX, Maine is following the Maine Human Rights Act." U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the lawsuit at a press conference on Wednesday morning. Bondi said they were seeking an injunction and have titles returned to the girls who "rightfully" won competitions in which trans athletes participated in. The Justice Department accused the state of "openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law by enforcing policies that require girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designated exclusively for girls," according to a complaint obtained by Fox News. "By prioritizing gender identity over biological reality, Maine's policies deprive girl athletes of fair competition, deny them equal athletic opportunities, and expose them to heightened risks of physical injury and psychological harm," the complaint added. The complaint also said the U.S. will seek "judgment granting declaratory injunctive, and damages relief for Defendant's violations of Title IX and the federal funding contracts it signed promising to comply with Title IX and its implementing regulations." Maine Gov. Janet Mills released a statement later on Wednesday in response to the lawsuit. "Today is the latest, expected salvo in an unprecedented campaign to pressure the State of Maine to ignore the Constitution and abandon the rule of law. This matter has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls, as has been claimed, it is about states rights and defending the rule of law against a federal government bent on imposing its will, instead of upholding the law. Federal Judge Woodcock's ruling of last Friday awarding the state a temporary restraining order reinforces our position that the federal government has been acting unlawfully," the statement read in part. Meanwhile, a school district in Maine is moving to comply with Trump instead of the state over the issue. The MSAD #70 School Board voted unanimously on Monday night to comply with Title IX, and Superintendent Tyler Putnam told Fox News Digital that he will amend the district's policies to prevent trans athletes from competing in girls' sports. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump DOJ sues Maine over dispute regarding trans athlete
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a lawsuit against Maine, alleging that the state has violated Title XI by allowing transgender athletes. Maine's Attorney General Aaron Frey joins Katy Tur to respond to the lawsuit.
