ORONO, Maine (WMTW) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Saturday that it is performing a compliance review of the University of Maine after the state declined to follow President Donald Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes competing in girls and women’s sports, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
USDA notified the University of Maine System of the investigation in a letter addressed to the Office of Governor Janet Mills, Dannel Malloy the Chancellor of the University of Maine System, and the Office of the Attorney General.
“President Trump has made it abundantly clear: taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars will not support institutions that discriminate against women,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “USDA is committed to upholding the President’s executive order, meaning any institution that chooses to disregard it can count on losing future funding.”
The news comes after the NCAA changed its policy earlier this month on transgender athletes to comply with the executive order.
According to the USDA, the University of Maine is a federally funded land-grant institution that receives over $100 million in USDA funding. The press release said compliance with federal law is mandatory for institutions to continue receiving taxpayer-funded support, including USDA grants.
A spokesperson for the University of Maine said in a statement provided to WMTW on Saturday night, “The University of Maine System appreciates the media making us aware of the USDA’s letter, which recognizes our flagship’s record of success in securing funding from that agency but notably makes no allegations of any wrongdoing. Maine’s public universities will continue to comply with all relevant State and Federal laws and cooperate with any compliance reviews to ensure postsecondary educational opportunities and high-impact research continue to benefit our students, the state, and this nation.”
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