The federal government has been sending billions in taxpayer dollars to states for their public schools, including Maine. Maine does not have to accept this money, but if it does, it must comply with the attached conditions, just as households can place conditions on charities that receive their donations or donate the money elsewhere.
At the recent governors’ meeting at the White House, President Trump politely asked Maine’s Gov. Janet Mills if she is “not going to comply with” his executive order protecting girls’ sports against boys viewing themselves as transgendered, as he had heard from the media. She indicated that she would not comply and argued instead that she is “complying with state and federal law” by allowing transgendered teenagers, born as male, to play in girls’ sports.
Trump responded that “we are the federal law” about how the executive authority under the Constitution is vested in the president and how Trump had cited the federal statute enacted by Congress. Trump continued, “You better do it, you better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t.”
“And, by the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports.” Mills interrupted Trump by brusquely saying, “See you in court,” and was photographed smiling smugly at her table.
“Good, I’ll see you in court; I look forward to that; that should be a real easy one,” said Trump. Then Trump added one of his trademark zingers that infuriates the Left, “And enjoy your life after governor because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
This 57-second confrontation in which Trump rebuked the entrenched liberal Maine Governor illustrated how much better Trump is than any other Republican politician. Who else would have stood up against a tough, bossy liberal woman attorney as Trump just did?
At issue is whether federal transgender policy should be carried out and enforced by elected leaders – or whether a small dissenting minority can use the courts to overcome the majority's will. The federal government, headed by Trump, can and should use the funding to enforce compliance by states and schools that receive the funding.
Trump’s Department of Education immediately opened an investigation into Maine schools, showing that he will follow through on this and all his campaign pledges. Nine days earlier, on February 12, Trump’s Education Department announced that it would also investigate the interscholastic athletic leagues in Minnesota and California for violating Trump’s ban on allowing boys to compete unfairly in girls’ sports.
A week earlier, Trump’s Education Department announced that it is investigating the Massachusetts interscholastic league, the University of Pennsylvania, and San Jose State University regarding this same issue. Virtually every state has an association that governs high school sports, and the league in Washington State has been considering setting up a program separate from girls’ sports for transgender athletes.
On February 20, Trump’s Department of Education also issued a statement applauding the conformance by the interscholastic athletic leagues in New Hampshire and Wisconsin with Trump’s executive order banning men in women’s sports. These are two important presidential swing states, and New Hampshire holds the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
Trump’s shutting down of the “transgender insanity,” as he accurately describes this, is part of his overall block on federal funding of woke ideologies. On Feb. 13, Trump’s Education Department announced the termination of over $350 million in grants to promote wokeness.
The amount of federal spending on boondoggles in public education is staggering. In the small state of Maine alone, the federal government wastes more than $280 million annually in funding its public schools, which “ranked dead last on a list compiled by U.S. News comparing the quality of public high schools between states.”
Liberals have run Maine public schools into the ground. “During the 1990s, Maine typically ranked first or second on the NAEP exams, but school policies in Maine have ruined its public schools since then, reports The Maine Wire.
Maine Gov. Mills remains defiant. The day after the public confrontation, Gov. Mills issued a written statement claiming that Trump is violating the Constitution by using federal funds to enforce compliance with his executive order and that she is standing up for the “rights of transgender Mainers” based on the Maine Human Rights Act passed in 2021.
But missing from Mills’ statement is any recognition of the rights of girls to fair competition in school sports, as thousands of girls are being denied the right to a level playing field by the transgender invasion. Once popular, Mills’ disapproval rating surpassed her approval rating even before she met with Trump.
John and Andy Schlafly are sons of Phyllis Schlafly (1924-2016) and lead the continuing Phyllis Schlafly Eagles organizations with writing and policy work.
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