Some on the Left are more hardheaded than others, it appears.
During a Friday event at the White House with the nation’s governors, President Donald Trump brought up the fact that some states are refusing to comply with his EO that relates to Title IX/men in women’s sports. He called out Maine’s governor specifically, who confirmed that her state won’t follow the new directive. As my colleague Sister Toldjah wrote:
…[T]hings got tense when Trump confronted Maine’s Democrat Gov. Janet Mills directly during his greeting to the National Governors Association working session at the White House.
For a few seconds, there was some back-and-forth between them, with Trump saying the state won’t get any federal funding, then agreeing when Gov. Mills threatened to sue. He shot back, “See you in court,” and predicted that the governor will not have a future in politics.
There’s more to it of course, including the aftermath of the usual, fake claims of bullying by leftists, which you can see in Toldjah’s story on the tussle:
Read More: Game On: Donald Trump Confronts Maine Governor in Heated Exchange Over Vow to Defy Women’s Sports EO
Sure enough, the Trump administration jumped right on the issue on Saturday, starting a “compliance review” of a Maine higher learning institution’s adherence to Title IX, underlining the hard facts that Pres. Trump mentioned to the governor–don’t comply, and your state is getting no more moola.
On Saturday, Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) Brooke Rollins shared an image showing the department’s document in an X post:
The USDA press release read, in part:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has initiated a compliance review of the University of Maine following the State of Maine’s blatant disregard for President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.
Read related: NEW: There’s a Twist in Who Will Run the Trump Ag Department
I’ll admit I scratched my head at first over how the USDA connects to the enforcement of Title IX provisions; the first thought most people would have is that it falls under the Department of Education handling it, right? That gets cleared up immediately, as the announcement goes on to state that the university receives federal funding of “over $100 million from the USDA.” And here’s where Title IX comes in:
Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities that receive federal funding. Compliance with federal law is mandatory for institutions to continue receiving taxpayer funded support, including USDA grants.
Sec. Rollins does not mince words, saying in the release:
“President Trump has made it abundantly clear: taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars will not support institutions that discriminate against women.
“USDA is committed to upholding the President’s executive order, meaning any institution that chooses to disregard it can count on losing future funding.”
There are already some grumblings in Maine completely unrelated to Pres. Trump’s executive order on women’s sports; there’s also a freeze on grants for some USDA, agriculture-related “green energy” programs.
Your move, Governor.
