President Donald Trump’s administration has given the state of Maine a deadline to comply with an executive order banning male athletes from competing in female sports.
Officials in Maine will be facing consequences if the state continues to resist.
On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) said officials in Maine have violated Title IX.
The OCR named Maine’s Department of Education, the Maine Principals’ Association, and Greely High School, according to The Hill.
Allowing males to play in female sports inherently discriminates against women and girls, the Trump administration asserts.
In a Wednesday statement, OCR acting director Anthony Archeval said:
“What HHS is asking of the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals’ Association, and Greely High School is simple – protect female athletes’ rights.
“Girls deserve girls-only sports without male competitors.
“And if Maine won’t come to the table to voluntarily comply with Title IX, HHS will enforce Title IX to the fullest extent permitted by the law.”
The Monday statement by OCR gave the Maine educational bodies 10 days to adhere to the Trump administration’s Title IX rules.
The statement requires a signed agreement from Maine officials.
It also threatens consequences if an agreement is not forthcoming.
The Trump admin previously yanked funding from the Maine university system.
However, the funds were later restored.
Archeval’s statement is the latest shot in the struggle between Maine’s Democrat Governor Janet Mills and President Donald Trump’s federal government.
The feud began after Maine refused to honor a Trump executive order to cut taxpayer funding to recipients who allowed male athletes to participate in female sports.
Mills threatened legal action if the Trump administration followed through on cuts to funding.
The two leaders clashed during a bipartisan Governors Working Session at the White House in February.
“Is Maine here? The governor of Maine?” Trump said as he scanned the room looking for Mills.
“Are you not going to comply with it?” he asked Mills.
Mills replied: “I’ll comply with state and federal law.”
“We are the federal law,” Trump stated.
“You better do it,” he warned,
“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 is somewhat liberal — although I did very well there — your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports.
“You better comply because otherwise, you’re not getting any federal funding.”
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