There is still a long road ahead for Maine and the state’s flurry of federal lawsuits, but lawmakers there successfully reinstated federal funding for the child nutrition program from the Department of Agriculture.
USDA paused funding in early April after Maine refused to comply with Title IX and President Trump’s nationwide transgender athlete ban. The state’s governor, Janet Mills, publicly told Trump she would see him in court before she banned a transgender track athlete at Greely High School.
This spring, Maine has seen a flurry of legal activity that included the USDA funding pause, a federal Title IX violation and a lawsuit by the Department of Justice.
On Friday, the Trump administration “agreed to halt all efforts to freeze funds intended for a Maine child nutrition program after initially suspending those dollars.” AP News reported that Maine dropped its lawsuit against the USDA following this announcement.
Related: U.S. Department of Justice Sues Maine Over Transgender Athlete Policy
“It’s unfortunate that my office had to resort to federal court just to get USDA to comply with the law and its own regulations,” Maine attorney general Aaron Frey said in a statement. “But we are pleased that the lawsuit has now been resolved and that Maine will continue to receive funds as directed by Congress to feed children and vulnerable adults.”
“The state of Maine went to court and fought this unlawful attempt to freeze critical funding for our school lunch program – and we won,” said governor Mills in a statement. “I applaud the work of Attorney General Frey and his staff in representing the state in this action against USDA, and preserving healthy school meals for 172,000 Maine school children.”
While leaders in Maine celebrate the reinstated funding, there is still a long way to go in the state’s legal battles. The state is still being sued by the Department of Justice, and the transgender student-athlete at the center of the issue is still competing.
