Conservatives

The Trump administration has ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pause federal funds to the University of Maine System (UMS) over the state’s refusal to protect women’s sports.

The UMS holds a network of eight public colleges in Maine—the state’s “largest educational enterprise,” according to the UMS website, with an annual enrollment of nearly 30,000 students.

As Breitbart News reported last month, the president signed an executive order to “re-write federal Title IX education rules to withhold federal funds from schools that allow transgender athletes to play as females.”

“Another aspect of the order would charge the Department of Homeland Security with the task of denying visas to foreign trans athletes who want to enter the U.S. to compete among women,” it added.

The state of Maine has been a stalwart in defying the executive order, which later prompted the USDA to “review potential Title IX and Title VI violations by the universities,” per Fox News.

A UMS spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that the funding will be paused.

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The USDA awarded as much as $29.78 million to UMS in 2024.

Americans overwhelmingly support keeping men out of women’s sports by a sizable majority that has only grown in recent years, according to the latest polls.

“A recent New York Times/Ipsos poll that found 79 percent of Americans believe trans athletes should not be allowed to participate in women’s athletics,” noted The Hill on Monday.