Earlier this week, the USDA suspended funding for the University of Maine System (UMS), a network of eight public universities in the state, UMS officials said.
On Wednesday night, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins' office said the funding freeze had reversed, according to a local outlet. The reason has not been revealed.
A Collins spokesman said the reversal came after Collins' office spoke with both USDA and White House officials.
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Maine Governor Janet Mills and White House President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
“We are deeply grateful for this encouragement news and are keen to keep our good work in moving Maine forward, putting the whiplash and worry behind us over the last few weeks behind us,” University of Maine Prime Minister Joan Ferry Mundi Prime Minister Dannel Malloy said in a joint statement via the Bangor Daily News.
In 2024 alone, USDA awarded UMS $29.78 million for research, the system said. In a letter addressed to the system, USDA claims it has provided more than $100 million to UMS in recent years.
The funding suspension occurred during a university review of potential Title IX and Title VI violations after the state's recent denial to comply with Trump's executive order to keep trans athletes out of women's sports.
President Donald Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills clashed in the White House over compliance with the executive order. (Pool via AP/Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Trump threatened to cut federal funds to Maine last month after a fierce exchange with Gov. Janet Mills. It was followed up with a march with Mills near the Capitol. There, several female athletes marched on the microphone and opposed the Democratic governor.
A day later, eight activists protested outside the home of Rep. Laurel Libby, opposed her views. Libby helped ignite a controversial situation when she competed in the Greeley High School girls' state pole vault competition in early February, identifying a biological man on social media who won. Police protection was assigned to Greeley High School amid the controversy.
Democrat government Janet Mills will make her national speech at the state capitol in Augusta, Maine on January 30, 2024. (AP photo/Robert F. Bucati)
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In his March 4 speech, Trump reaffirmed his intention to punish states that continue to allow trans athletes to compete with girls in a joint session of Congress.
Jackson Thompson of Fox News contributed to this report.
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