In the wake of President Donald Trump’s threat to pull over $280 million in federal funding from Maine schools if they continue to allow males to compete in girls’ sports, Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) vowed that the state would take legal action to resist him.
“If the President attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of Federal funding, my Administration and the Attorney General will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides. The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President’s threats,” said Gov. Mills.
If Mills follows through on her threat to sue the Trump administration over the president’s attempt to pull funding, it would add to a rapidly growing list of legal actions taken in Maine and across the nation to hinder his agenda.
After Trump’s initial statement, he berated Mills in person for her refusal to comply with his executive order.
“Well you better do it, [comply with the order], you better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t. And, by the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, you’re population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports,” said Trump.
[RELATED: Trump and Mills Go Head to Head Over Trans Row]
Mills responded, telling Trump, “See you in court.”
“Good, I’ll see you in court, I look forward to that, that should be a real easy one,” said Trump.
He went on to tell Mills that he does not think that she has any future in elected politics.
The controversy came after President Trump singled out Maine during a speech on Thursday at the Republican Governors Association (RGA), promising to pull funding in response to a transgender-identifying male dominating a high school girls’ pole vault competition.
[RELATED: Trans Identifying Male Leap-frogs Competitors at Girls’ Pole Vaulting Meet in Maine…]
“I heard men are still playing in Maine,” said Trump, “Well, I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to give them any federal money. They are saying that we want men to play in women’s sports and I cannot believe that they’re doing that.”
President Trump’s comments puts Maine Democrats in a difficult position. They can either stay silent and lose support from radical leftists who could see silence as capitulation, or oppose the president and risk losing the majority of Democrat voters who believe men have no place in women’s sports.
Recent polling shows that 79 percent of Americans, and even 67 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Americans, believe that men should not compete in women’s sports.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) tried to have it both ways when spoke out in response to the president’s statement, condemning his actions while acknowledging that males should not be allowed to compete in girls’ sports.
“Every child has a right to a quality education and it’s wrong to punish every Maine school over a policy disagreement that applies to a small fraction of students,” said Rep. Golden.
He clarified that he agrees with the underlying argument that men should not be in women’s sports, but opposes the president’s methodology.
“I also believe the state got this policy wrong; In public schools in Maine, biological boys shouldn’t compete in sports against biological girls. While we in Congress wrestle over the role of the federal government versus the states in education, state political and education leaders have the authority to resolve this issue, and they should,” said Golden.
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) weighed in with a statement on BlueSky Social, calling Trump’s efforts an unconstitutional abuse of power.
“Federal funding is not a political bargaining chip, President Trump’s threat to cut off funding to Maine is not only an egregious abuse of power–it’s an unconstitutional act of coercion designed to force states into his extreme and discriminatory agenda,” said Rep. Pingree.
Pingree’s belief that the agenda is “extreme” does not align with polling that shows the vast majority of Americans are opposed to males in women’s sports.
Maine’s Senior Senator Susan Collins (R), widely considered a moderate, issued a lengthy statement in response to the escalating situation, urging respectful treatment of transgender-identifying people and opposing the president’s method, while, like Golden, speaking against men in women’s sports.
“Allowing biological males who identify as transgender to compete in women’s sports has threatened to undermine the core purposes behind Title IX. This is not a political issue; this is a matter of biology,” said Sen. Collins in a statement provided to the Bangor Daily News.
“I oppose the President’s attempt to curtail funding for Maine, and will advocate vigorously for our fair share of federal funding for Maine schools. And again, I believe that we must treat transgender people with respect and dignity,” she added.
While Democrats face a potential lose-lose situation, some Republicans have celebrated the President’s comments.
“President Trump pledges to step in to protect girls’ sports in Maine and clean up the failure by both the Maine Principals’ Association and the Maine Democrat Majority,” said Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn).
Rep. Libby faced backlash from Democrats for initially publishing a picture of the transgender-identifying male standing victorious over girls.
The President’s promise also drew praise from Riley Gaines, a prominent conservative activist opposed to boys competing in girls’ sports.
“Moral clarity & accountability are back in the White House. Praise God,” said Gaines.
The Maine Wire reached out to the Maine Principals Association (MPA), asking if they would change their policy and bar males from girls’ sports following Trump’s threats, but they did not respond.
Up to this point, the MPA and other educational authorities have stuck to their plan of resisting Trump, though it remains unclear how long that resistance can last in the face of Trump’s threats to cut funding, or how the courts might intervene on this question.
Mills got to look like an idiot on the national stage. Proud of her, lol.
I agree with Golden sort of, why should the state be punished for just a few kids with mental illness. Just get them out of girls locker rooms, bathrooms and sports, problem solved, why is so difficult to understand. Is a male coach allowed in the girls locker room while they are changing or showering?
And where is Mills getting the money to sue, money to burn I guess.
Trump should have reminded Mills that we are last in education, high taxes and Augusta is the worst State capitol to live in. I think Mills has her priorities mixed up.
Good job there Janet . Good job.
There’s $280,000,000 right out the window because YOU think queer boys should beat girls at sporting events . Janet Mills I wish you would resign you’re position and give us back our state .
YOU are destroying Maine . We don’t want or need you here . Please leave .
Democrats are Destroying Maine . That includes YOU TOO Pingree .
Im SO glad Pres Trump put this evil demon in her place. She does NOT represent the majority of Mainers, nor has she done anything positive for our state, cut off that money. All of it. Mills should be thrown out of office, because what she has done to this state borders on criminal.
Actually the headline reads “Trump destroys governor to her face as he threatens to defund entire state”. The Daily Mail, England. The bitch slap heard around the world. Mills, worse governor of maine and gaining quickly on newscum for worse governor of all time.
Maine is an embarrassment… Maine got into this because it was hijacked by progressive left wing loons & we allowed them to slowly ooze into our way of life and politics… now, Maine, a poor tourist and hunting state has to constantly defend against 2nd amendment rights, biological rights, religious rights etc… it’s time to get involved and fight back Mainers… Trump can’t fight every fight for us.
Maine is my birth state. It always was a refuge from all the nut cases.
Now it’s changed from Vacationland into Nutcaseland.
Really sad considering the majority is still against all this.
If a man is in the girls locker room or rest room, we should be able to call the police & have the perp arrested and get a lifetime of government monitoring like any sex criminals
Dems talk so much about defending womanhood while they attack it
“Maine’s Senior Senator Susan Collins (R), widely considered a
moderate”liberal. There I fixed it for ya.Typical uppity lesbian, cant tell em nothing.
PNS and Bath Iron both depend on government money to exist, shut em down.
Once again the Governor chooses to embarrass the state of Maine. Augusta continues to make thier own laws, try decide who we can vote for and recklessly waste our tax dollars.
Now we have a mental health issue at Greely that our last place education system mishandled costing us millions. Does it ever end with this progressive bullshit?
Bitchslaped in front of the national media and all her fellow governors!
Laurel Libby for Governor
I work nationwide and this afternoon hade people from all over the country sending me texts asking what the hell is wrong with Maine.
Loose lips sink ships Janet. What got into you? To make you think?A sassy challenge to President Trump?On national television?Could win friends and influence people? You have no sense of fair play or who your constituents may be. Hopefully the attention you brought to Maine will magnify the funny business with the Chinese CCP Cartel illegal poisonous cannabis business that you and your minions support. Welcome Pam Bondi, Tom Homan, Kristy Noem, Kash Patel.
Maine needs your attention and Janet is crying for help.
I read somewhere that the DEA had opened a Title IX investigation. Anybody know if there’s any truth in that?
What an embarrassment Mills has become for Maine citizens. Don’t stop with cutting federal aid for education – cut all federal aid and watch Maine wither away.
So what WILL General Mills be doing in 2027 — she will be 79 years old, not able to run for Governor again until she is 82 years old, and even if Golden ran for Governor or Senator, she would not be as popular as he in the 2nd District.
So what WILL General Mills be doing? And to what extent is she making plans for it now?
Trump should have told her (and Pritzket too) that “You do NOT represent the people of that state, you represent your own corrupt money stealing interest”.
Ask any farmer from the middle of either state and you will find them homicidally angry at you and they will tell you to your face you do not represent them and you need to resign.
I work for the State of Illinois and Pritzker is hated by all state employees viscerally: the average people I see in my office want him gone; not just farmers.
But he doesn’t care what they think, and neither does Mills.
Pathetic.
Welcome home Janet, your cell is ready.
Trump has survived every lawfare suit brought against him. Do you think Millstone has a chance of taking him down on this issue?
What a pervert she is. I’m signing the petition to have Janet Mills recalled. https://www.change.org/p/people-of-maine-recall-governor-janet-mills-for-incompetence-and-financial-irregularities
Hey Pingree was this unconstitutional,
https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/no-free-lunch-biden-admin-will-pull-meal-funding-for-schools-that-dont-comply-with-its-lgbt-agenda/
Mills, plan to buck the EO saves DOGE the effort of slashing corruption and waste in Maine DOE and schools and the rejection of federal funding probably will lift student learning out of last place, all the while applying heat on the perversion of boys being girls.
“Bingo
15 hours ago
I agree with Golden sort of, why should the state be punished for just a few kids with mental illness.”
It is not a few kids with mental illness, it a bunch of woke perv supporting adults allowing this bull shit.
F.U. Czarina Mills. You are the worst thing to hit Maine ever.
Gender dysphoria is a mental illness. Mental illness should be treated, not celebrated or exploited to divide citizens in order to increase the wealth and power of the Communist Democrat elites !
Janet got spanked…..NOW, for the rest of the corruption… let’s get this ranked choice voting (or I like to call it multiple guess voting) shot down, along with useless windmills on the floating islands of her mind, and plant good clean crop farms instead of solar panel farms, that no one knows how to recycle. etc. etc. etc. Give us back our state, We are not California.
Every single parent , of every single girl involved is school sports in Maine , should file suit against Janet Mills , Sheena Bellows , Aaron Frey , the Maine Principal’s Association , and The State of Maine , for willfully and negligently violating Title Nine . These loonie democrats in Augusta need to be put in their place and forced to comply with these regulations .
Maine taxpayers do not have the two hundred and fifty million dollars that we will lose . Democrats are RUINING our state . It’s time for this insanity to end .
Does Maine have any attorneys with the backbone to help these girls ?
My perspective as a treatment professional from Maine during the Damariscotta abuse: https://open.substack.com/pub/oldschoolcounselor/p/maine-has-been-way-out-on-the-radical?r=z6l70&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Why does the governor want boys playing against girls? What is her logic? Just use some common sense and save the state millions.
These dems are demonic!
“ Yeah , I’m Here “ …..she says ……Oh my what a bitch !
Not for long Janet . Not for long .
When your current term expires YOU ARE DONE IN MAINE .
You are an embarrassment to the people of Maine .
You will never win an election here again .
Go sit in the corner and shut your mouth in the meantime .
Pandering to those who make up less than 5% of Mines population is just stupid! Hay Mills, where do the actual girls rights start in your world? The 95% of us who will end up paying for your mess are tired of your DEI/WOKE BS.
We have the highest rate of children being killed while in state custody in the country. The next worst state (the 49th ranked state) would have to be twice as bad as they are to even be in our league of killing children. Has the governor spoken up about these kids. Have they done anything about it? No. Now she wants to worry about protecting the “rights”of boys who call themselves girls being in the locker rooms with our granddaughters.
No, they want another distraction while they bankrupt the state with their spending, our children be killed state custody, and raise taxes on prescriptions and ambulance rides for the elderly and the sick.
Huh, it’s obvious to me. Janet and the democrats either actually believe Trans Identifying males are OK to play with/against girls , change in the locker rooms and bathrooms with them , possibly assault them , causing undue mental anguish and trauma to these girls , or their just EVIL ,CORRUPT AS SIN POLITICIANS , STEALING TAXPAYER MONEY TO ENRICH THEM SELVES AND THEIR OVERLORDS . (OR A REALLY BAD CASE OF T.D.S.) I know my in-law has a terrible case of it… hope their cured soon 🥴 Pretty obvious choice here mainers . WAKE UP. PLEASE!!!!!
It would appear that Maine conservatives have a communication link to the administration and it certainly isn’t anyone in the congressional delegation. This moment was created intentionally to make Mills defend the indefensible. Whomever that link may be, thank you.
Some democrats are trying to talk out of both of their two faces. NOT good enough! Either stop the insanity of males in female sports, or accept the fact that you will be branded with the same crime as your liberal colleagues and pay the same consequences!
States should avoid “excepting” Federal funds as it comes with strings attached. i.e. doing what the federal government wants that state to do. Interesting how Gov. Mills was willing to do whatever was required by the previous Federal Government to receive grants/aid. Question: How many fishermen do you know got any money/help after two tranches of Federal money was doled out? Another question: Where did that money go and has anyone audited said funds?
What a blooming id-jit to allow this situation. Her own party has to be ashamed of her actions. Sooooo glad she cannot run again. Let this be her legacy….. to lose on this issue!!!
Straigthen up Seamus, this is not a “threat” this is a promise. ” President Donald Trump’s threat to pull over $280 million in federal funding”. Or are you now in bed with our Governess? If there are a million tax payers in Maine, which is likely an over estimate of those who actually pay taxes, that is going to mean a really quick increase in my and my wife’s taxes of $560. That is a lot for us to pay so that Governess Mills can hire up her lawyer Brother to bang heads with the President of the United States.
Thank you Maine Wire
Thank you Rep. Laurel Libby
Pole valter top athlete in Maine is a boy..just won a week ago!
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)
“Federal funding is not a political bargaining chip” That’s strange because it has been used that way many times by Democrats, When Carter wanted the speed limit lowered to 55 Federal highway funds were threatened, that same threat was used to force states to adopt the 21 years of age to purchase alcohol. Biden used federal funds as a bargaining chip multiple times during his term, Funny how the old hag Pingree was not concerned back then.
I’m not educated on the genesis of the Maine Principals Association. To whom is this body accountable and how are its members appointed? It appears to wield a lot of influence and decision making power in our K-12 system.
If some kid at Greely High School wants to paint his fingernails , put on a bra , and pretend to be a girl he has that right . He doesn’t have the right however to steal recognition from his real female classmates .
Janet Mills shouldn’t have to be told this . To take the side of this boy who pretends to be a girl , and therefore take away the rights of all these other real girls is criminal . Janet Mills should be recalled .
Het ignorance knows no boundaries .
A high jumping male won in the female competition. What’s next, Hockey? I can’t wait to see a girl slammed into the wall by a male in that sport.
Can not wait for the summer tourist session Governor. Those student work permit may just be a little late!
fiskjames13@gmail.com
When high school hocky was young in this State , Biddeford had a female goalie in the net for their boy’s varsity team. That was 40ty or so years ago when Biddeford was a class A school.
Again, General Mills wrongfully pushing her DEI agenda as her Priority all the while our children continue to fall behind. Only 26% of 4 grade students can read at grade level.
I hate to see the Maine students suffer because of Maine’s governors ignorance, but it has to happen! She has ruined Maine.
Jared, again your are playing both sides of an argument that ethically and biologically should not cost children and residents of Maine federal funding. You are again backing the Tyrant Governor of Maine. She is dead wrong in this battle against the federal government!