USDA halts millions in funding for University of Maine System

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has temporarily halted spending to all of the programs it funds at University of Maine System schools, a system spokesperson announced Tuesday morning. The move temporarily pauses the system's agricultural research and programs weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to cut funding for Maine because it allows transgender athletes to compete in sports. The university system has $56.1 million in active USDA grants, most of which support the flagship campus in Orono and agriculture programs and research, according to spokesperson Samantha Warren.