Maine Sea Grant, a $4.5 million initiative that relies on federal funding to provide environmental and economic research along Maine’s coast, appears to be the only program of its kind that has so far had its funding abruptly cut off by the administration of President Donald Trump.
No detailed, official explanation has been given for the abrupt cut, which was announced over the weekend. But the University of Maine, which administers the program, released a letter from an official with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that said Maine’s program is “no longer relevant to the focus of the Administration’s priorities and program objectives.”
In response, U.S. Rep Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st Congressional District issued a blistering statement over the weekend that accused Trump of pettiness and said he “now has a personal vendetta against our state.” She did not elaborate.
Trump has recently threatened to cut federal funding to Maine after a heated exchange with Gov. Janet Mills in Washington last month over allowing transgender student-athletes to participate on the sports teams of their gender. But his administration has not specifically attributed the slashing of Maine Sea Grant’s money to that dispute.
The national Sea Grant program has funding partnerships with higher-learning organizations in more than 30 states and in the territories of Puerto Rico and Guam. All states with ocean shoreline on the east and west coasts and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain in Vermont, have Sea Grant programs funded by Congress.
A NOAA spokesperson did not respond to a request for information Monday about whether it has cut funding to other Sea Grant programs outside of Maine.
A search engine did not turn up any reports of other Sea Grant programs outside Maine having their funds abruptly cut off.
Representatives of Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts and University of New Hampshire said separately Monday that funding for their Sea Grant programs has not been cut. Other institutions that receive Sea Grant funding did not respond to inquiries.
Sea Grant was first established by Congress in 1966 and charged with helping to maintain a healthy coastal environment and economy, according to the program.
In Maine, as of 2023, the program helped fund 20 positions that helped research and promote sustainable marine-related business practices, healthy coastal ecosystems, marine education and workforce development, according to UMaine officials.
A four-year agreement with NOAA, which funds Sea Grant programs, went into effect in February 2024 and was expected to continue through January 2028.
“This is not only insulting, but demonstrates an alarming lack of understanding of the essential role grants and scientific studies play in sustaining our fisheries and coastal economies,” Pingree said in her statement. “This shortsighted and heartless decision — which has left dozens of skilled employees suddenly jobless — threatens the progress we’ve made in addressing challenges such as ocean acidification, warming waters, and habitat conservation.”
Pingree has not immediately responded to a request for more information.
William Brennan of Castine — who formerly served as president of Maine Maritime Academy and, under Republican administrations, as commissioner of Maine Department of Marine Resources and later as acting administrator of NOAA — described the decision to terminate funding for the program as “capricious.” He said he expects Trump’s order to be challenged in court.
“Sea Grant has created huge benefits to Maine for years,” Brennan said. “It provides significant outreach to communities for climate change, for any number of things. This is not good for Maine, and this is not good for the country.”
Brennan said additional cuts to NOAA programs such as the National Weather Service or federally funded weather buoy networks could cause economic harm and put lives at risk.
“These decisions are not being made with any rhyme or reason,” he said.
This is not the first time Trump has identified Sea Grant as a place to slash federal funding, but it is the first time he has followed through with those threats.
In 2017, during Trump’s previous term as president, he proposed cutting the nationwide program altogether, but it was saved by Congress and in December 2020 — after losing his re-election bid to Joe Biden — Trump signed the reauthorization bill.
Concerns about steep cuts to NOAA, which oversees Sea Grant, have re-emerged since Trump was re-elected last fall and then sworn back into office in January.
Many commercial fishermen in Maine have championed Trump as a president who will protect them from over-regulation, from development of offshore wind turbine arrays and from other things they say are a threat to their livelihoods.
But Maine Lobstermen’s Association, the largest commercial fishing advocacy group in Maine, has expressed concern about the elimination of Sea Grant programs in the state.
“Maine Sea Grant is an important partner in supporting coastal communities, sustainable fisheries, and preserving our way of life,” the group said. “While we appreciate the importance of cutting fraud and waste from government spending, eliminating vital programs like Maine Sea Grant could have a negative impact on both our economy and our environment.”
