President Donald Trump has suspended funding for research and programs at the University of Maine System (UMS) after he clashed with Democrat Governor Janet Mills over the state’s refusal to ban transgender athletes from girls’ sports.
In an email received by UMS, the chief financial officer at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) ordered all payments to be paused while the department ‘evaluates if it should take any follow-on actions’ related to possible violations at the school.
USDA’s chief financial officer ordered ‘awarding agencies and staff offices to temporarily no longer issue any payments or authorize any other releases of funding to Columbia University or the University of Maine System.’
The email continued: ‘This pause is temporary in nature while USDA evaluates if it should take any follow-on actions related to prospective Title VI or Title IX violations. Please take any necessary actions to effectuate this direction from leadership. This pause will remain in effect until further notice.’
The school had received almost $30 million in USDA funding in fiscal year 2024.
The decision comes hot on the heels of Trump’s public spat with Mills during an address at the State Dining Room in the White House over the president’s executive order seeking to bar transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
After asking if she was following the guidelines, Trump told her: ‘You better do it because you’re not going to get federal funding.’