Federal judge rules Trump administration must 'unfreeze' funds to Maine as trans battle lingers

A national justice said the Trump medication indispensable assistance their frost connected national backing to Maine.

The ruling reads that the USDA "must instantly unfreeze and merchandise to the authorities of Maine immoderate national backing that they person frozen oregon failed oregon refused to wage due to the fact that of the authorities of Maine's alleged nonaccomplishment to comply with the requirements of Title IX."

The medication is besides "barred from freezing, terminating, oregon different interfering with the authorities of Maine's aboriginal national backing for alleged violations of Title IX without complying with the legally required procedure."

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President Donald Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills clashed Friday astatine the White House implicit enforcement bid compliance. (Pool via AP/Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The USDA announced the backing frost and a reappraisal of national backing to Maine earlier this period aft the authorities refused to supply adjacent opportunities to women and girls successful acquisition programs.

The authorities has refused to comply with President Donald Trump's February enforcement bid to prohibition trans athletes from girls' and women's sports, prompting immense national pressure. Trump initially vowed to chopped national backing to the authorities if it refused to comply with the bid during a Feb. 20 speech. 

Maine officials filed a suit against the USDA connected Monday pursuing the agency’s determination to frost backing to the state.

The authorities accused the USDA of "withholding backing utilized to provender children successful schools, childcare centers, and after-school programming arsenic good arsenic disabled adults successful congregate settings," an statement the justice agreed with.

The justice noted that the frost was owed to Title IX violations, but it "restricted" the quality to "provid[e] meals to children and susceptible adults."

Gov. Janet Mills speaks during a quality league successful the aftermath of a wide shooting, successful Lewiston, Maine, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Gov. Mills, a Democrat, rolled retired authorities connected Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, she said volition forestall unsafe radical from possessing weapons and strengthening intelligence wellness services to assistance forestall aboriginal tragedies similar the Lewiston wide shooting that shook the state. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, precocious called for the issues betwixt the medication and her authorities to beryllium "resolved," saying that she would proceed to combat for national backing for the authorities portion besides being against transgender athletes successful biologic pistillate sports.

The Department of Education besides launched an probe into the authorities owed to the issue.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) referred the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) to the Department of Justice Friday for continuning to let trans athletes to vie successful girls sports. 

It's the 2nd DOJ referral the state's acquisition institutions person faced successful the past period implicit the issue, aft the Department of Health and Human Services referred MDOE, the Maine Principals' Association and Greely High School March 28.

After Trump signed an enforcement bid to prohibition trans athletes from women's and girls' sports Feb. 5, Maine was 1 of the galore states that openly defied the order. The state's disagreement connected trans inclusion was past brought to airy erstwhile Maine authorities Rep. Laurel Libby identified a trans jock successful a societal media station who won a girls rod vault contention for Greely High School that month. 

Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills challenges U.S. President Donald Trump implicit trans women successful sports arsenic Trump addresses a gathering of governors astatine the White House connected February 21, 2025 successful Washington, DC.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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Libby was censured by Maine's Democratic bulk and Speaker Ryan Fecteau for the post, which has prevented her from carrying retired different legislative actions to service her constituents.

Fox News' Jackson Thompson and Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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