USDA suspends Maine university funding after Trump row over transgender athletes

By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended funding for research and programs at the University of Maine, the school said on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump clashed with Governor Janet Mills over the state's refusal to ban transgender athletes from girls' sports.

In an email received by the University of Maine, the USDA's chief financial officer ordered all payments paused while the department "evaluates if it should take any follow-on actions" related to possible civil rights violations at the school.

The school said in a press release that it had received $30 million in USDA funding in fiscal year 2024. The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Tuesday.

Trump, a Republican, and Mills, a Democrat, argued on February 21 over the president's executive order seeking to bar transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports.

"You better do it because you're not going to get federal funding," Trump warned Mills, as he addressed governors during a meeting at the State Dining Room in the White House.

Mills shot back, "We're going to follow the law, sir. We'll see you in court."

Trump retorted: "Enjoy your life after governor, because I don't think you'll be an elected official afterwards."

A day after the confrontation, the USDA announced an investigation into whether the University of Maine was violating federal law prohibiting sex discrimination.

The school said on Tuesday that it had provided responses to USDA confirming its athletic programs were in compliance with state and federal law, as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association's policy barring varsity athletes assigned male at birth from competing in women's sports.

According to the university, the USDA funding supports 4-H, a social and educational youth program; training to help farmers manage pests; and research to ensure the sustainability of Maine's lobster industry, among other programs.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Michael Perry)