The state of Maine is taking the Trump administration to court over what it calls an unlawful and politically motivated funding freeze linked to its transgender athlete policy in public schools. On Monday, Attorney General Aaron Frey announced a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), accusing the agency of withholding critical nutrition funding as punishment for the state’s refusal to ban transgender students from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

According to Maine officials, the federal freeze impacts funding used to provide meals for children in schools, after-school programs, childcare centers, and even for disabled adults in community care settings. The state contends that the move is illegal and is seeking an emergency order to restore the funding.

“Under the banner of keeping children safe, the Trump administration is illegally withholding grant funds that go to keeping children fed,” Frey stated in a press release. “This is just another example where no law or consequence appears to restrain the administration as it seeks capitulation to its lawlessness.”

The legal action stems from the state’s refusal to comply with President Donald Trump’s February executive order, which mandates that states receiving federal education and nutrition funds must ensure that biological males are not permitted to compete in girls’ or women’s athletic competitions. Maine stood firm in maintaining its policy allowing transgender athletes to participate in accordance with their gender identity, prompting USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to issue a warning that noncompliance would result in a freeze of federal support.

“In order to continue to receive taxpayer dollars from USDA, the state of Maine must demonstrate compliance with Title IX which protects female student athletes from having to compete with or against or having to appear unclothed before males,” Rollins wrote in a letter to Maine officials.

Rollins went further, announcing a comprehensive review of all grants awarded to Maine’s Department of Education under the Biden administration. She described many of those grants as “wasteful, redundant, or otherwise against the priorities of the Trump administration,” and emphasized the USDA’s new commitment to focusing on agriculture and nutrition programs without advancing what she termed a “leftist social agenda.”

Maine Governor Janet Mills has not yet issued a formal statement on the lawsuit, though she has previously defended her state’s position on transgender inclusion in school athletics, framing it as a matter of civil rights. Critics of the administration’s stance say the withholding of food assistance punishes children and vulnerable adults for a political disagreement.

Frey further alleged that despite earlier assurances from Secretary Rollins that nutrition programs would not be affected, the Maine Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Program has already been cut off from several critical streams of federal funding. This includes money necessary to operate school breakfast and lunch programs and meal services for elderly and disabled residents.

The Department of Education has also referred Maine’s case to the Department of Justice, asserting that the state is in violation of Title IX. Federal officials have given the state until April 11 to reverse its policy and comply with Trump’s executive order, or risk losing additional federal support across a range of education and welfare programs.

This legal showdown is part of a larger national battle over transgender participation in school sports. Since returning to office, President Trump has made the issue a cornerstone of his education policy. His executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” signed in February, explicitly bars biological males from participating in female athletic competitions and ties future federal education dollars to compliance.

Supporters of the administration’s position argue it is about fairness and safety for girls and women. Opponents argue the policy is discriminatory and puts vulnerable youth at greater risk.

The outcome of the case could have far-reaching consequences. If the courts uphold the administration’s funding freeze, it could embolden similar actions in other states with inclusive transgender policies. On the other hand, a ruling in Maine’s favor could weaken one of Trump’s signature education directives and complicate his broader agenda on Title IX enforcement.

For now, Maine’s lawsuit has escalated the fight into the federal courts, with both sides digging in. The legal question at hand: Can the federal government legally withhold nutrition assistance from children and disabled adults as leverage in a political standoff over school sports?

That answer could shape national policy for years to come.