President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Maine will lose federal funding if it keeps allowing trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.
"I heard men are still playing in Maine," Trump told a group of Republican governors in Washington.
"I hate to tell you this, but we're not going to give them any federal money," he continued. "They are still saying, ‘we want men to play in women’s sports,’ and I can not believe that they're doing that… So we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up."
Trump’s executive order, signed on Feb. 5, ordered all federal agencies to review grants, programs, and policies. Any that allowed "male competitive participation in women’s sports" would be cut off. The administration framed it as a matter of "safety, fairness, dignity, and truth."
The order also enforced strict Title IX rules. Schools and athletic groups that did not comply could lose federal aid.
"Many sport-specific governing bodies have no official position or requirements regarding trans-identifying athletes," the order stated. "Others allow men to compete in women’s categories if these men reduce the testosterone in their bodies below certain levels or provide documentation of ‘sincerely held’ gender identity." Trump argued these policies were unfair to female athletes and put their safety at risk.
After the order was signed, several Democrat-led states, including Maine, California, and Minnesota, said they would not comply.
Maine’s top high school sports official stood firm. Athletic teams, he said, would continue determining eligibility based on a student's stated gender identity.
Mike Burnham, the executive director of the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA), pushed back against Trump’s directive. He said it conflicted with state law, which protects human rights. The MPA, he said, would follow the state’s policy.
"The executive order and our Maine state Human Rights Act are in conflict, and the Maine Principal's Association (MPA) will continue to follow state law as it pertains to gender identity," Burnham told Maine Public.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Burnham doubled down. "The staff at the MPA will closely monitor any updates from federal and state authorities regarding the potential impact of the president's executive order on high school sports participation and adjust its policy accordingly."
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education launched investigations into the Minnesota State High School League and the California Interscholastic Federation. Both refused to comply with Trump’s order.
Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, dismissed their stance. "The Minnesota State High School League and the California Interscholastic Federation are free to engage in all the meaningless virtue-signaling that they want, but at the end of the day they must abide by federal law," he said.
Trainor added that regional offices in Chicago and San Francisco would investigate both organizations. "I would remind these organizations that history does not look kindly on entities and states that actively opposed the enforcement of federal civil rights laws that protect women and girls from discrimination and harassment."
The Department of Education reinforced its position. State laws, it said, do not override federal anti-discrimination laws. That means these athletic associations are still under investigation.
Some Democrat-run states, however, have already changed course.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association announced a major shift Wednesday. It now only allows athletes "designated as females at birth" to compete in girls' sports. The group had previously allowed trans athletes since 2013.