PORTLAND (WGME) – President Donald Trump’s threats to cut off education funding to Maine are drawing a mixture of support, outrage and deep concern.
Some, like Republican State Representative Katrina Smith, say they saw this coming.
“I had been waiting for this to happen for the last several weeks since he put out the executive order,” Smith said.
Two weeks ago, Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping men out of woman’s sports.”
This order would prevent transgender women or girls from competing in female sports.
“I am a true feminist,” Smith said. “I believe women on their own should have the opportunity to excel, and I think that by introducing somebody transgender or a biological male beginning is not fair for our girls.”
The Maine Principals’ Association and Maine Department of Education are following the Maine Human Rights Act.
“The Maine Human Rights is a state law,” Maine Human Rights Commission Executive Director Kit Thomson Crossman said. “It is still in effect, and we will continue to uphold it and the protections to all Mainers.”
Thomson Crossman says the Human Rights Act, as of right now, isn’t under direct threat, while referencing potential legal action down the road.
“And how those court decisions come down may impact some point, either who we can enforce the law or other state laws, how funding gets allocated, that sort of thing), but at the moment, no, we are enforcing the state law,” Thomson Crossman said.
Both sides agree that the state cannot afford to lose federal funding.
“It would be really concerning to see funding cut for schools. I think our schools are already in need in funding, and to have that funding cut even further would be pretty drastic,” Thomson Crossman said.
“We cannot let this happen,” Smith said. “We cannot let the President take away our federal funding, so again, the adults need to come to the table with the Trump administration and figure out the way for us to not lose our funding.”
Legal experts say it is likely this could end up in the courts.
It remains to be seen if state law would still take precedent over a federal order.
