Judge Orders Trump Admin To Unfreeze Maine Education Funds Suspended Over Trans Sports
A federal court has mandated that the Trump administration release funds designated for Maine by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These funds had been frozen amid a standoff between President Donald Trump and Maine Governor Janet Mills regarding transgender athletes' participation in school sports.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge John Woodcock — appointed by President George W. Bush — approved Maine’s request for a temporary restraining order. The USDA, one of the federal agencies whose funding to Maine had been in jeopardy, did not issue a statement right away, according to NPR.
The controversy stemmed from an executive order Trump signed in early February. That directive barred biological male students from joining girls’ sports teams and instructed the federal government to withhold support from educational institutions that, in its view, denied equal athletic opportunities to women and girls.
In defiance, the Maine Principals’ Association announced it would continue its inclusive policy for transgender girls, asserting that the federal order clashed with state legislation. On February 21, during a gathering of governors at the White House, Trump criticized Mills directly for not complying with the executive order, as NPR also reported.
“You better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t,” Trump warned Mills.
To which Mills responded, “See you in court.”
Not long after, Trump demanded an apology. On his Truth Social platform, he declared: “We need a full throated apology from the Governor herself, and a statement that she will never make such an unlawful challenge to the Federal Government again, before this case can be settled.”
Following the clash, the Trump administration initiated several federal investigations into Maine, citing potential breaches of Title IX — the law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational programs — according to Maine Public Radio. The probes involve the Department of Education as well as the Department of Health and Human Services, NPR stated.
The USDA formally joined the matter in early April. In a letter dated April 2, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins informed Governor Mills that funding for certain school-related administrative and technology functions would be suspended due to her “defiance of federal law.”
Though the total amount of suspended aid remains unspecified, Rollins also suggested that further funding — including for educational research and outreach — was under review. In response, the state filed a lawsuit arguing that the USDA had not followed proper legal and regulatory procedures before halting the funds.
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey urged the court to intervene and restore the assistance, pointing out that the funding in question supports school meal services for children throughout the state.
Judge Woodcock sided with the state, stating the USDA acted “without observance of procedure required by law,” and noted the department had not held a hearing or notified Congress before cutting funding.
“Secretary Rollins cannot simply declare Maine in violation of Title IX and pull funding with zero due process,” the judge emphasized.
Earlier correspondence from Maine’s attorney general’s office also rejected the administration’s draft agreement to reinstate the funding.
“The Maine Department of Education and the Maine Office of the Attorney General have reviewed the draft Resolution Agreement and your Impasse Letter dated March 31, 2025. We will not sign the Resolution Agreement, and we do not have revisions to counter propose. We agree that we are at an impasse,” the letter said.
“Nothing in Title IX or its implementing regulations prohibits schools from allowing transgender girls and women to participate on girls’ and women’s sports teams. Your letters to date do not cite a single case that so holds,” it added.
Despite the legal victory for Maine, opinion polls indicate public disagreement with its stance. Surveys show that a significant majority of Americans — potentially including many in Maine — oppose allowing biological males to compete against biological females in sports competitions.