The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday announced that the University of Maine System (UMS) has agreed to keep transgender-identifying men out of women’s sports, in compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive order.
“After the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiated a Title IX compliance review regarding federal funding, the University of Maine System (UMaine) has clearly communicated its compliance with Title IX’s requirement to protect equal opportunities for women and girls to compete in safe and fair sports, as articulated in President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order,” USDA said in a press release.
The USDA temporarily paused funding for UMS, which is comprised of eight public universities in the state, last week over the issue and reinstated funds just days later. The department said the university system is now in compliance with Trump’s order. Still, it warned that “[a]ny false claim by the UMaine can, and will, result in onerous and even potentially criminal financial liability.”
By Feb. 26, 2025, UMaine responded to USDA’s questions, confirming that it does not have males participating in women’s sports and complies with NCAA regulations. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) notably banned males from competing in women’s sports less than 24 hours after Trump’s order rewriting Title IX. USDA said UMaine has had access to federal funds since it confirmed its compliance.
“The choice for the rest of Maine is simple: protect equal opportunities for women, as required by law, or lose funding,” USDA added.
UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy told Fox News Digital that UMaine is “relieved” to “put the Department’s Title IX compliance review behind us.”
“The University of Maine System has always maintained its compliance with state and federal laws and with NCAA rules, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture also affirmed in a press release today,” Malloy said.
“We are relieved to put the Department’s Title IX compliance review behind us so the land-grant University of Maine and our statewide partners can continue to leverage USDA and other essential federal funds to strengthen and grow our natural resource economy and dependent rural communities through world-class education, research, and extension,” he continued.
According to the report, USDA awarded at least $29.78 million to UMS for research in the 2024 fiscal year alone. In a letter to the system, the USDA said it has awarded over $100 million to UMS in recent years.
President Trump’s executive order on “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” was created to protect female student athletes from having “to compete with or against or having to appear unclothed before males.” The order also mandates each federal department to “review grants to education programs and, where appropriate, rescind funding to programs that fail to comply with the policy established in this order,” which protects women “as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”
Following his order, several Democrat-run states said they planned to flout to order, including California, Minnesota, and Maine. Then, in February, a transgender-identifying boy claimed the victory in the Maine Class B championship for the Greely High School girls’ track and field team.
Trump subsequently vowed on Feb. 20 during a GOP governors’ meeting at the White House to cut funding to Maine if it continues to allow males in female sports. Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ office threatened legal action against the Trump administration the following day.
Trump then had a spat with Mills at the White House during a bipartisan meeting of governors.
“Are you not going to comply with [the order]?” Trump asked Mills.
“I’m complying with state and federal laws,” she said.
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“Well, we are the federal law,” Trump responded. “Well, you better do it. You better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t.”
“And by the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal — although I did very well there — your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports,” he added.
Mills said she would see Trump in court, and he declared he looked forward to it.
“That should be a really easy one, and enjoy your life after governor because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics,” he said to conclude the back-and-forth.
Hours later, the U.S. Department of Education announced an investigation into the state for potential IX violations. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities receiving federal funding.
The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ultimately concluded that the state and the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) violated Title IX.
HHS warned MDOE, the Maine Principals’ Association, and Greely High School that it will refer the state to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) if it does not agree to comply with Trump’s order.
“What HHS is asking of the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA), and Greely High School is simple — protect female athletes’ rights. Girls deserve girls-only sports without male competitors. And if Maine won’t come to the table to voluntarily comply with Title IX, HHS will enforce Title IX to the fullest extent permitted by the law,” HHS OCR acting Director Anthony Archeval told Fox News Digital.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.