BANGOR — Governor Janet Mills doubled down on her belief that the federal government cannot legally pull Maine’s funding over alleged Title IX violations on Thursday.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday that claims Maine is violating anti-discrimination law by allowing transgender girls to participate in female sports.
Mills said she feels the court has already shown where it stands on this issue — referencing a federal judge’s order last week that the Trump administration must unfreeze funding to Maine that was suspended amid the Title IX dispute.
“This is the 70-page ruling from the federal district court. I urge you to read this ruling and tell me that the federal court has not already ruled that they cannot simply deprive the state of funds, of for instance the school lunch program,” said Mills. “Look, it’s as simple as this: I’m in Bangor for the Tourism Conference — [say] maybe I disagree with the Bangor City Council on their trash fees, maybe I don’t like what they’re doing — that doesn’t mean I can say ‘well, the city of Bangor gets no more school funds from the state of Maine.’ That’s what the federal government has tried to do, and they can’t do it.”
Mills spoke with reporters following her remarks at the Maine Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Bangor.
“The state of Maine obtained a favorable ruling from the federal court just last Friday — there’s a temporary restraining order,” said Mills. “The federal judge issued an order against the federal government from trying to withhold funds or from freezing funds for the school nutrition program because they disagree with Maine’s state law under the Human Rights Act. The federal court has already ruled they can’t do that.”
In responding to questions about the federal lawsuit against the Maine Department of Education, Mills reiterated what she had previously said in a statement released on Wednesday, and said she is happy to go to court.
“I’m happy to go to court and litigate the issues they’ve raised in this court complaint,” said Mills. “A complaint which, by the way, cites no authority, no case law, for their position on this sports issue.”
Mills also said the lawsuit is a tactic that distracts from other pressing issues facing the nation like the state of the economy, and it’s not about “who plays on the athletic field.”
“To me, these kinds of actions and press conferences are a diversionary tactic from what the real issues are facing families across Maine and families across the United States,” said Mills. “The price of eggs, the price of bread, the price of fuel, the price of housing and construction costs, the cost of a new truck or an old truck or a vehicle of any kind.”
Mills said she feels confident about Maine’s chances in court.
“I feel pretty confident about the case, the 31-page complaint cites no authority, no case law, to support the president’s own interpretation of Title IX,” said Mills. “I stand for the rule of law. What does that mean? It means no chief executive can fabricate or make the law on their own, whether by Tweet or Instagram post or press release or executive order. There are three branches of federal government.”
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