USDA freezes Maine nutrition funds over transgender-athlete policy; settles after TRO

Funding actionUSDA

Date
Actor
Department of Agriculture (Secretary Brooke Rollins)
Agency
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Type
Funding action
Section
FUNDING AND RESEARCH TERMINATIONS

Summary

After President Trump's February 21, 2025 threat to withhold funds from Maine for refusing to comply with EO 14201 (women's sports), USDA froze about $3 million in federal funds supporting Maine school nutrition programs, citing Title IX. Maine's attorney general sued; Judge John Woodcock (D. Me.) granted a TRO on April 11, 2025, finding Maine likely to prevail because USDA bypassed required procedures. In a May 2, 2025 settlement, USDA agreed to unfreeze the funds and to refrain from freezing or terminating Maine's USDA funds over alleged Title IX violations without following legally required procedures. (See also sections 3, 5, 8.)

Status

Settled May 2, 2025; funds restored. DOJ's separate Title IX suit against Maine and the Education Department's administrative fund-termination proceeding continued on other tracks.

As recorded in the data of . Check the sources for anything newer.

Sources