Main Gov. Janet Mills. (Photo via Mills’ Facebook)
President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from Maine after the state’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills refused to say that she would enforce his administration’s ban on transgender women and girls competing in sports.
Their brief but heated exchange during a meeting of the National Governors Association at the White House on Feb. 21 kicked off when Mills agreed only to abide by “state and federal law” and Trump told her, “We are the federal law. You better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding if you don’t.”
“See you in court,” Mills responded.
“Good,” Trump agreed, “I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
Two days after Trump’s issuance of the executive order”Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” on Feb. 5, the governing body responsible for overseeing high school sports in Maine said trans athletes would still be allowed to compete because the ban was in conflict with provisions of the Maine state Human Rights Act.
The president previewed his proposal to condition federal funding on states’ compliance with the policy during a meeting on Thursday of the Republican Governors Association.
Earlier on Feb. 21, Mills vowed in a statement that “If the President attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children from the benefit of Federal funding, my Administration and the Attorney General will take appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides.”
Echoing her comments, the state’s Democratic Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a statement that “Any attempt by the President to cut federal funding in Maine unless transgender athletes are restricted from playing sports would be illegal and in direct violation of court orders.”
“Fortunately, though, the rule of law still applies in this country, and I will do everything in my power to defend Maine’s laws and block efforts by the President to bully and threaten us,” he said.
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