Education Department threatens Maine with total K-12 funding loss over trans sports policy

The U.S. Department of Education issued a formal demand on March 19, 2026, warning Maine it would lose all K-12 federal funding unless the state excluded transgender girls from girls sports by a set deadline. Maine received approximately $250 million in annual federal education funding supporting Title I and IDEA programs for low-income and disabled students. Governor Janet Mills had previously told Trump at a February meeting that Maine would not comply with executive order restrictions on transgender athletes. The department referred enforcement to the DOJ.