Trump Administration Begins Cutting Maine’s Federal K-12 Education Funds 

In a first-of-its-kind action, the U.S. Department of Education has begun withdrawing federal K-12 funding from the Maine Department of Education. 

This marks the administration’s opening salvo in its battle over transgender policies, targeting an entire state’s education system for noncompliance with its interpretation of Title IX.

The department also escalated the issue by referring its Title IX investigation to the U.S. Department of Justice. This referral followed Maine’s refusal to sign a resolution agreement within a 10-day window after the state was found in violation.

“The Department has given Maine every opportunity to come into compliance with Title IX, but the state’s leaders have stubbornly refused to do so, choosing instead to prioritize an extremist ideological agenda over their students’ safety, privacy, and dignity,” said Craig Trainor, acting assistant education secretary for civil rights in an April 11 statement.

Gov. Janet Mills “would have done well to adhere to the wisdom embedded in the old idiom — be careful what you wish for,” Trainor said. “Now she will see the Trump Administration in court.”

Mills has insisted since the probe began that Maine is not out of compliance with Title IX. 

She has framed the federal response as an overreach, stating, “not just about who can compete on the athletic field,” but rather “about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot.”

Related blog post: Trump Administration Freezes Federal Funding for Cornell and Northwestern Amid Civil Rights Investigations

Investigation Sparks Legal and Political Tensions

The investigation, launched on February 21 without a public complaint, wrapped up in under a month. A similar probe by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also began that day. 

Mills, who clashed publicly with Trump in February over transgender athletic policy, claimed from the start that the findings were “all but predetermined.”

Unlike previous administrations that spent months conducting interviews and developing collaborative resolutions, the Trump administration has favored rapid action. Traditional resolution agreements often include training staff or conducting student surveys. 

In this case, Maine was given 10 days to accept a draft agreement redefining “females” and “males” based on reproductive roles and required the state to apologize to cisgender girls affected by the policy.

When Maine declined, the U.S. Department of Education warned on March 31 that it would escalate the matter.

“Under prior administrations, enforcement was an illusory proposition. No more,” said Trainor in a March 31 statement. 

“The Trump-McMahon Education Department is moving quickly to ensure that federal funds no longer support patently illegal practices that harm women and girls.”

This enforcement marks a significant departure from historical precedent. According to the Association of Title IX Administrators, the federal government has rarely withheld funding from a state or district over Title IX. 

Now, within just three months, the administration has threatened to strip more than $9.5 billion from universities and dozens of institutions over alleged violations — with officials warning that “this is only the beginning.”

Continue reading: Boise State Forced to End Key Program After Federal Education Funding Slashed