Attorney General Pam Bondi warned Maine on Tuesday that it must comply with federal law protecting girls’ sports from males.
Bondi issued letters to officials in Maine, Minnesota, and California following pushback from left-wing lawmakers and state officials who have refused to comply with the president’s executive order banning men from women’s sports and spaces.
“This Department of Justice will defend women and does not tolerate state officials who ignore federal law,” Bondi said Tuesday. “We will leverage every legal option necessary to ensure state compliance with federal law and President Trump’s Executive Order protecting women’s sports.”
Her letter reminds these officials that Trump’s executive order states that allowing men and boys to compete in women’s and girls’ sports is “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls.”
“The practice is also illegal under federal law: it denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports, in violation of Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972.”
The move follows a rather dramatic scene at the White House on Friday, when President Donald Trump challenged Maine Governor Janet Mills (D.) for refusing to follow the law on males in girls’ sports. On Saturday, The Daily Wire reported that Mills’ chief of staff cursed at a Trump official over the same topic and stormed out of the room. Mills’ office denied that Jeremy Kennedy cursed and refused to return more requests for comment.
Maine Democratic Governor Janet Mills speaks with Trump (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)
On Friday, as Trump discussed the NCAA complying with his executive order mandating that men stay out of women’s spaces, the president looked up from the podium questioning: “Is Maine here? The governor of Maine? Are you not going to comply with it?”
“I’ll comply with state and federal law,” Mills responded.
“We are the federal law,” Trump told her. “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 is somewhat liberal — although I did very well there — your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports. You better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding.”
“We’ll see you in court,” the governor can be heard saying.
“Good, I’ll see you in court,” Trump responded. “I look forward to that, that should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
On Thursday, the president said that his administration would withhold federal funding from Maine following the news that a boy who identifies as a girl took first place in girls’ pole vaulting at Maine’s Class B state championship.
“I heard men are still playing in Maine,” Trump said on Thursday. “We’re not gonna give any federal money. They are still saying, ‘We want men to play in women’s sports.’ And I cannot believe they’re doing that.”
Bondi’s letter is the latest move by the Trump administration to enforce the order. The Education Department said Friday it is launching Title IX investigations into Maine’s Department of Education, and USDA said Saturday it has initiated a “compliance review” of the University of Maine.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi warned Maine on Tuesday that it must comply with federal law protecting girls’ sports from males.
Bondi issued letters to officials in Maine, Minnesota, and California following pushback from left-wing lawmakers and state officials who have refused to comply with the president’s executive order banning men from women’s sports and spaces.
“This Department of Justice will defend women and does not tolerate state officials who ignore federal law,” Bondi said Tuesday. “We will leverage every legal option necessary to ensure state compliance with federal law and President Trump’s Executive Order protecting women’s sports.”
Her letter reminds these officials that Trump’s executive order states that allowing men and boys to compete in women’s and girls’ sports is “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls.”
“The practice is also illegal under federal law: it denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports, in violation of Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972.”
The move follows a rather dramatic scene at the White House on Friday, when President Donald Trump challenged Maine Governor Janet Mills (D.) for refusing to follow the law on males in girls’ sports. On Saturday, The Daily Wire reported that Mills’ chief of staff cursed at a Trump official over the same topic and stormed out of the room. Mills’ office denied that Jeremy Kennedy cursed and refused to return more requests for comment.
Maine Democratic Governor Janet Mills speaks with Trump (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)
On Friday, as Trump discussed the NCAA complying with his executive order mandating that men stay out of women’s spaces, the president looked up from the podium questioning: “Is Maine here? The governor of Maine? Are you not going to comply with it?”
“I’ll comply with state and federal law,” Mills responded.
“We are the federal law,” Trump told her. “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 is somewhat liberal — although I did very well there — your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports. You better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding.”
“We’ll see you in court,” the governor can be heard saying.
“Good, I’ll see you in court,” Trump responded. “I look forward to that, that should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
On Thursday, the president said that his administration would withhold federal funding from Maine following the news that a boy who identifies as a girl took first place in girls’ pole vaulting at Maine’s Class B state championship.
“I heard men are still playing in Maine,” Trump said on Thursday. “We’re not gonna give any federal money. They are still saying, ‘We want men to play in women’s sports.’ And I cannot believe they’re doing that.”
Bondi’s letter is the latest move by the Trump administration to enforce the order. The Education Department said Friday it is launching Title IX investigations into Maine’s Department of Education, and USDA said Saturday it has initiated a “compliance review” of the University of Maine.
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