The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pressed pause on all funding for the University of Maine after the state’s governor refused to follow President Donald Trump’s demands to ban transgender athletes from girls’ sports. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ argument with Trump escalated when his orders turned to threats on Feb. 21 after she refused to back down to him: “You better do it because you’re not going to get federal funding,” he said. Mills held firm in her beliefs. “We’re going to follow the law, sir,” she said. “See you in court.” Things only grew more heated from there, when Trump admin announced that Maine parents would not be able to register their newborns for a social security number at the hospital–but then immediately rescinded the order and apologized. Now the Maine v. Trump conflict has reached new heights as the USDA’s chief financial officer claims that all payments to the state’s university are suspended as the department evaluates if it should take any “follow-on actions” related to possible school violations. The university says that it is in compliance with the law, but the critical funding is still on hold as the USDA investigates. The Daily Beast has reached out to the Trump administration for comment.
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