ORONO — The United States Department of Agriculture has halted all funding for the University of Maine System until further notice.

The pause comes after President Donald Trump threatened to cut all federal funding to Maine following an exchange with Gov. Janet Mills over the state’s compliance with Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs – including athletics. At the heart of the dispute was Mills' refusal to enforce Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports in public schools and universities.

The USDA initiated a Title IX review of UMaine on Feb. 22, and the university says they provided timely responses to the department’s questions.

According to a statement from the university, the message the USDA sent to UMaine indicated the pause would be temporary while the USDA evaluates if it should take further action related to prospective violations of Title IX or Title VI — the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In verbal responses to the USDA on February 25, the university says they confirmed to the USDA that its athletic programs are in compliance with relevant state and federal laws and that UMS universities that are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) are “also operating in a manner entirely consistent with that association’s recently updated policies, which do not allow for varsity student-athletes assigned male at birth the compete in female sports.”

However, the University of Maine System is “unaware of being subject to any compliance reviews by USDA or any other federal agencies pertaining to Title VI.” 

The university learned about the funding halt on Monday through a forwarded email they said appeared to have originated from the USDA’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer.

An announcement of the news from university system highlighted the significance of the USDA funding.

“Since its founding as the state’s land grant university in 1865, funding from federal agencies, including USDA, has been essential to UMaine's capacity to prepare the workforce,” UMS said. “And deliver research-driven innovation necessary for the success and growth of Maine’s natural resource economy.”

UMS said that UMaine was awarded almost $30 million last year. 

“In FY24, the USDA awarded $29.78 million to UMaine for research and extension that directly benefited the state’s farmers, fishermen and foresters,” UMS said. “[The research and extension] supported education and youth leadership development through Cooperative Extension 4-H and other programs; solved industry challenges; improved Maine’s environment and quality of life; and made local food systems safer and more resilient.”

The university system also provided a list of examples of current USDA-funded activities at UMaine, which includes research into PFAS contamination on Maine farms, potato breeding and the state’s lobster industry among other initiatives.

UMS said the funding pause is in addition to an earlier pause of funds “awarded nationally through the Specialty Crop Block Grant program.”

UMS said the University of Southern Maine also has several active USDA awards. 

Spectrum News has reached out to the USDA for comment.