Dive Temporary:
- The U.S. Division of Agriculture on Monday paused all company funding to the College of Maine System “till additional discover,” the establishment mentioned Tuesday. USDA offered almost $30 million in funding to the system’s flagship college in fiscal 2024.
- The freeze follows a USDA announcement in late February that it was launching a compliance overview of the College of Maine over what it known as “blatant disregard” of President Donald Trump’s government order forcing training establishments to ban transgender ladies from sports activities groups aligning with their gender id.
- UMS has written to USDA asking for readability on the funding pause and standing of the compliance overview, a spokesperson mentioned by e mail Wednesday. The system additionally instructed USDA that it’s “unaware of any proof” of a Title IX or Title IV violation and has not been notified by the company of a violation or allegation.
Dive Perception:
The USDA introduced its compliance overview of the College of Maine on Feb. 22, a day after Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills had a heated public alternate over his government order throughout a White Home assembly of the governors.
“Are you not going to adjust to it?” Trump requested.
“I’m complying with state and federal legal guidelines,” Mills replied.
“Properly, I — we’re the federal regulation,” Trump mentioned. “You higher do it, you higher do it, since you’re not going to get any federal funding in any respect in case you don’t.”
Shortly later, Mills instructed Trump, “We’ll see you in courtroom.”
Together with the USDA compliance overview, the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies’ Workplace for Civil Rights launched a Title IX investigation into Maine’s coverage permitting transgender women to take part in highschool athletics. The probe, which was introduced on the day of Trump and Mills’ alternate, concluded simply 4 days later, discovering that the state had violated Title IX, the statute barring sex-based discrimination at federally funded faculties and colleges.
In line with UMS, USDA’s questions throughout its overview did not pertain to any particular college within the system however quite centered on whether or not college students assigned male at beginning may compete on ladies’s sports activities groups.
Following the USDA’s announcement, the system mentioned it confirmed its athletic applications complied with state and federal legal guidelines, in addition to the NCAA’s not too long ago modified guidelines.
The system offered verbal and written solutions to company workers by Feb. 26 and heard nothing from USDA till March 10. That’s when a forwarded e mail that “seems to have originated from the USDA’s Workplace of the Chief Monetary Officer” introduced information of the momentary funding freeze.
The e-mail, which the system cited in a information launch, famous, “This pause is momentary in nature whereas USDA evaluates if it ought to take any follow-on actions associated to potential Title VI or Title IX violations.” (UMS famous that it’s not underneath any compliance critiques associated to Title VI — which bars discrimination primarily based on race, coloration and nationwide origin at federally funded faculties — by any federal company that it is aware of of.)
As a land-grant establishment, the College of Maine flagship and 7 different establishments within the system are closely depending on USDA funding.
In fiscal 2024, the company awarded it $29.8 million for analysis and agricultural extension actions. The system has used that funding to help all the things from potato breeding to air pollution mitigation to stopping livestock illness outbreaks.
On Tuesday, a plant illness diagnostic lab for farmers and others on the College of Maine warned customers of longer lead instances on pattern testing as a result of it needed to let go 5 USDA grant-funded technicians as a result of funding freeze.
USDA didn’t instantly reply to a request for extra particulars in regards to the funding pause.
The USDA freeze at UMS comes simply days after the Trump administration slashed $400 million to Columbia College over allegations that it didn’t adequately defend Jewish college students from harassment on its campus. The administration has warned 60 faculties that they might face sanctions within the wake of pro-Palestinian protests
