Trump administration ordered to unfreeze funding in dispute with Maine over transgender students
Source: AP
Updated 1:28 PM EDT, April 12, 2025
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze funds intended for a Maine child nutrition program that were suspended amid a disagreement between the state and the president over transgender athletes. District Court Judge John Woodcock issued a temporary restraining order on Friday in a case brought by the state of Maine against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An email message seeking comment was sent Saturday to the Agriculture Department.
At issue was the freezing of federal funds to Maine for certain administrative and technological functions in the state’s schools. A letter from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins explained the decision stemmed from a disagreement between the state and federal governments over whether Maine was complying with Title IX, the federal law that bans discrimination in education based on sex.
Soon after the secretary’s letter was sent, Maine’s Department of Education could not access several sources of federal funds for a state nutrition program, according to the court’s written order.
The lawsuit, brought by state Attorney General Aaron Frey, states that the child nutrition program received or was due to receive more than $1.8 million for the current fiscal year. Prior year funds that were awarded but are currently inaccessible total more than $900,000, the lawsuit states. The lawsuit also says that the program was anticipating about $3 million that is typically awarded every July for summer meal program sponsor administration and meal reimbursement.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/maine-usda-funding-freeze-title-ix-c50bdfa491f11273353844ecf43f4aeb
I swear this was BURIED. And that is despite the purported publication date/time.
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