The White House has been in the spotlight recently as President Trump has sought to enforce his ban on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. The ban, which has been met with fierce resistance from some states, has sparked a high-stakes legal battle between the Trump administration and the state of Maine, which has a law allowing transgender students to compete on women’s teams.
Maine’s Laws and Trump’s Response
President Trump demanded to know from Maine Governor Janet Mills whether she would comply with his ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports during a meeting at the White House in February. Mills replied that Maine would comply with state and federal laws, but Trump responded by saying that the federal government would cut off federal education funding to the state unless they changed their policy. Mills warned Trump that she would take the state’s dispute to court, and Trump has since begun the process of stripping Maine of its federal education dollars. The dispute has sparked a fight that represents a high-stakes case study for California, which also has statutes permitting transgender athletes in women’s sports.
California’s Stance
California education code ensures equal rights and opportunities for every student and prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. In response to the ban, California Governor Gavin Newsom has said that it is “deeply unfair” for trans students to compete in women’s sports, but he has not acted to change California law, which he previously has supported.
Trump’s U.S. Department of Education Opens Investigation
The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into the California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees sports at more than 1,500 high schools, and has explicitly threatened to cut off federal funding to the state unless they change their policy.
Federal Funding at Stake
Federal funding for California education is estimated to be around $16.3 billion per year, including money for school meals, students with disabilities, and early education Head Start programs. The Los Angeles Unified School District has estimated that it receives about $1.26 billion a year.
Other Funding Threats
In addition to education funding, California is facing other threats to its federal funding, including a ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and a requirement to notify parents about student gender-identity issues. California colleges and universities are also at risk of losing billions in grant funding over DEI penalties and concerns about campus antisemitism.
Maine sued the Trump administration for relief based on the first wave of cuts, and a U.S. district judge granted a temporary restraining order, meaning that the funding is supposed to be restored until courts decide the case on its merits.
The Trump administration argues that Maine is violating federal antidiscrimination laws and protections implied by the U.S. Constitution. They claim that the state’s policy allows transgender students to compete on women’s teams, which is illegal sexual discrimination against women.
Some conservatives argue that the federal government should not be in the business of funding education, but if it does, the funding should come with few strings attached. Others argue that the Trump administration is overreaching and intruding on matters that should be left to local authority.
“The legal argument for broadly coercing a state into doing what you want isn’t really different,” said Graeme Boushey, director of Center for the Study of Democracy at UC Irvine. “What concerns some observers is that the thing that’s changed is the composition of the U.S. Supreme Court, tilting more in favor of the Trump administration.”
Key Facts:
* Maine is the first state to face full throttling of its K-12 funds from the Trump administration. * The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into the California Interscholastic Federation. * Federal funding for California education is estimated to be around $16.3 billion per year. * California has at least a dozen lawsuits in progress to block various Trump actions. Timeline of Events:
* February 2022: President Trump demands that Maine Governor Janet Mills comply with his ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports. * March 2022: The U.S. Department of Education begins the process of stripping Maine of its federal education dollars. * April 2022: Maine sues the Trump administration for relief based on the first wave of cuts. * May 2022: A U.S. district judge grants a temporary restraining order, restoring funding to Maine.
* Transgender athletes: Student athletes who identify as a different sex than the one assigned at birth. * Women’s sports: Sports that are traditionally competed by female athletes. * DEI programs: Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that promote diversity and inclusion in education.
