I'm not sure the story's over, but here's the story so far.
America's Toughest Governor, Maine's Janet Mills, Just Folded Like A Cheap Lawn Chair(I assume "toughest governor" is meant tongue in cheek.)
You remember the story, right? All of the nation's governors were at the White House for a meeting with Donald Trump on February 22nd, and Maine's Janet Mills stole the show, as it were.
Trump, a couple weeks earlier, had signed an executive order to ban biological males from competing in women's sports, and threatened to pull education funding to districts, states, and colleges/universities that did not comply. Enter Governor Mills.
She had no intention of complying. Even after the President called her out in front of other other state's governor, she wasn't going to budge. This was the hill on which she was willing to consume the arsenic. I wrote about this pretty extensively at the end of the week, including the immediate Finding Out Governor Mills experienced after F'ing Around.
Her reaction? Priceless. She said her antiquated state law trumped Trump's EO and Title IX of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Trump said he'd see her in court, and that she'd lose.
Multiple investigations by the Department of Education and Department of Agriculture, a menacing follow-up from Pam Bondi's Department of Justice, along with an announcement that up to $250 million dollars in educational dollars, seemed to have done the trick. Mills, and University of Maine, discovered that that much money not finding its way to the Pinetree State unless compliance happens would cause some consternation among Mainers with kids. The Department of Agriculture alone allots up to $100 million to the University of Maine System of campuses alone.
Today is the 21st. Mills drew her line in the sand 27 days ago. You'll be surprised to learn that Maine, and Mills, caved. It didn't even make it to court.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that the University of Maine System (UMS) has agreed to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports.
UMS, a network of eight public universities in Maine, was subject to a temporary pause in funding from the USDA last week during an ongoing battle between the state and the federal government over trans inclusion in women's and girls sports. The funding was reinstated just days later.
The USDA now claims the UMS is in full compliance with Trump's executive order.
Oh, sure, you can sell me on the concept that Mills, in her heart of hearts, is still a believer in boys collecting up all the records and medals in women's sports in the name of equality. You know what she believes in a hell of a lot more? That sweet, sweet federal cash.
Follow the money. And watch these idiots follow the money. Money talks. And as they used to say, bullshit walks. I hope this campaign continues.
No comments:
Post a Comment
READ THIS BEFORE COMMENTING!
All comments are subject to approval before they are published, so they will not appear immediately. Comments should be civil, relevant, and substantive. Anonymous comments are not allowed and will be unceremoniously deleted. For more on my comments policy, please see this entry on my other blog.
AND A NEW RULE (per this post): comments critical of Trump's lying must include criticism of Biden's or Kamala's or some prominent leftie's lying on a one-for-one basis! Failure to be balanced means your comment will not be published.