The University of Maine has had funding for research and programs suspended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, months after Donald Trump publicly clashed with state Governor Janet Mills over the banning of 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, according to Reuters.
UM said in a press release that it had received $30 million in USDA funding in fiscal year 2024.
It comes following a now viral exchange between Trump and Mills during a meeting with governors at the White House on last month. The president threatened the Democrat comply with his executive order banning transgender women and girls from women’s sports or risk losing federal funding.
“Are you not going to comply with it?” Trump asked Mills, to which she replied: “I’m complying with state and federal laws.”
“We are federal law,” Trump said. “You better do it. You better do it, because you’re not going to get federal funding … Your population doesn’t want men in women’s sports.”
“We’ll see you in court,” Mills replied.
“Good. I’ll see you in court. I’ll look forward to that. That should be a real easy one,” Trump said. “And enjoy your life after, governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
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