The Trump administration has agreed to reinstate federal funding for Maine’s school nutrition programs, ending a legal standoff that began when the state refused to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports. The resolution follows a federal judge’s temporary injunction last month and marks a significant victory for the state, which had challenged the administration’s abrupt freeze of food assistance funds as unlawful and politically motivated.
At the heart of the dispute was President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender women and girls from participating in female athletic programs at schools receiving federal funding. When Democratic Maine Governor Janet Mills refused to comply, Trump threatened to withhold critical funding. “You better do it,” the president told her during a tense White House meeting in February. “You’re not going to get federal funding.”
Governor Mills stood firm. “We’ll see you in court,” she replied.
And that’s precisely what happened.
In early April, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sent a letter to Maine warning that $3 million in USDA nutrition funding would be frozen unless the state enforced the president’s executive order. Days later, U.S. District Judge John Woodcock issued a temporary restraining order, finding that the USDA likely failed to follow appropriate legal procedures in its funding freeze and had overstepped its authority under Title IX.
Rather than risk a broader court ruling against it, the USDA agreed this week to a legal settlement with Maine, ending the freeze and committing to follow legal protocols in the future. In return, Maine has dropped its lawsuit.
While the Trump administration has not admitted wrongdoing, the outcome ensures continued funding for vital school nutrition programs that feed thousands of children and low-income adults across the state.
“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,” said Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey. “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.”
Governor Mills celebrated the outcome at a press conference Friday. “I told him I’d see him in court,” she said. “Well, we did see him in court, and we won.”
The fight is part of a broader national effort by the Trump administration to restrict transgender rights through a series of executive orders and regulatory changes. This includes denying transgender people access to gender-affirming healthcare, attempting to ban trans service members from the military, and redefining federal civil rights laws to exclude protections based on gender identity.
Legal advocates warn that these efforts directly harm transgender Americans, especially youth and often rely on misinformation. In the USDA case, Trump officials claimed Maine was violating Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in education. But courts have increasingly affirmed that Title IX protections apply to transgender students.
“The administration’s tactics are not only discriminatory; they’re legally questionable,” said a spokesperson for Lambda Legal. “Transgender youth deserve support, not political scapegoating.”
For now, Maine’s schoolchildren will continue receiving meals, and its state officials remain defiant in the face of federal pressure.
“We won’t be bullied into abandoning our values or our people,” Mills said. “Especially not our kids.”
