A seemingly normal meeting between President Trump and an assortment of governors was anything but after a public clash with Maine’s governor, Janet Mills.
The squabble began during President Trump’s welcome to the governors when he began speaking about the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order.
“Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” will require all entities that receive government funding to provide women with a safe and fair environment to participate in athletic competition under Title IX of the Education Amendment Act of 1972. The order also gives government agencies the power to strip funding from organizations they deem are not following the equal opportunities promised to women under Title IX.
Maine’s laws prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s gender identity. Consequently, biological males are still able to participate in women’s sports in the state.
Aware of Maine’s lack of adherence to the executive order, Trump asked Mills if Maine was ready to comply or risk a loss of federal funding. Mills responded, “I’ll see you in court.”
Trump and Mills’ abnormal interaction prompted a quick response from a key government agency. The Department of Education Office of Civil Rights sent a letter to Maine’s education commissioner to announce a Title IX investigation.
“OCR is initiating a directed investigation of the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) amid allegations that it continues to allow male athletes to compete in girls’ interscholastic athletics,” the letter reads. “State laws do not override federal antidiscrimination laws, and the MDOE and its schools remain subject to Title IX and its implementing regulations.”
Fellow politicians have also spoken out regarding the interaction between President Trump and Governor Mills. Governor of Colorado and chair of the National Governors Association, Jared Polis, was candid when asked about the altercation.
“We always hope that people can disagree in a way that elevates the discourse and tries to come to a common solution around what the issue is,” Polis said in a press conference. “I don’t think that that disagreement was necessarily a model of that.”
Both Trump and Mills appear to be resolute in their position on this issue. More details about the potential loss of federal funding are expected to be released after the Department of Education concludes its investigation.
Leave a Reply