The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it is freezing its funding to Maine for certain “administrative and technological functions in schools,” but did not specify how much money has been frozen, or what programs it will impact.

In a letter to Gov. Janet Mills, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins made clear the freeze is a direct response to alleged Title IX violations by the state.

“You cannot openly violate federal law against discrimination in education and expect federal funding to continue unabated. Your defiance of federal law has cost your state, which is bound by Title IX in educational programming,” Rollins wrote. “This is only the beginning, though you are free to end it at any time by protecting women and girls in compliance with federal law.”

Mills clashed with President Donald Trump in February over the Maine Human Rights Act, a state law that protects the rights of transgender athletes to compete on sports teams aligned with their gender identity. Rollins’ letter is the latest of several from federal agencies issued to Maine leaders over the state’s policies around transgender athletes.

Spokespeople for Mills and the Maine Department of Education did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday afternoon.

It appears that the pause will not affect money for school lunches, for which the USDA provides federal assistance, or direct assistance to people in Maine. “If a child was fed today, they will be fed tomorrow,” the letter states.

It’s unclear if the freeze will affect the University of Maine System, which had its USDA funding frozen in March, also citing an investigation into Title IX compliance, before the department restored it the following day.

The system was not sure whether it would be impacted by the cuts, and officials “are reaching out to the state to better understand the universe of affected programs as the USDA’s announcement seemed to target them,” spokesperson Samantha Warren said in an email Wednesday night. She noted that the department had already stated weeks ago that the system conforms to Title IX.

The USDA is also reviewing all research and education funding it provides Maine to assure compliance with the Trump administration’s agenda, according to Rollins’ letter.

Since Trump took office, the USDA has also canceled contracts to provide food and funding to Maine schools and nonprofits.

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, called the latest round of cuts “political blackmail.”

“This goes beyond Title IX — it’s a calculated assault on the values of equality and dignity that Mainers hold dear,” Pingree said in an emailed statement Wednesday. “Rather than adjudicate the Title IX issue in court, this administration would rather pick on rural communities. On our teachers and students.”

Staff Writer Daniel Kool contributed to this report.