ST. PAUL, Minn. — Under legal pressure, President Trump has backed off his threat to withhold federal school funding to Minnesota, Attorney General Keith Ellison announced. Trump had been bullying Minnesota and 18 other states to abolish their gender-free accessibility policies on school sports. Such gender barriers in high school sports, said Ellison, were unfair and discriminatory. Specifically at stake for Minnesota was $530 million for K-12 schools. Ellison and fellow attorneys general negotiated Trump’s retreat. Their argument: It was wrong to hold the state’s 876,000 school kids as political hostages. Still unresolved are similar Trump bully tactics to demand states to conform with his priorities on other issues. In total Minnesota receives about 35% of the state budget. Included is funding for healthcare and highways.
Ellison. Minnesota’s chef state legal officer ince 2019. A Democrat,
Verbatim
Ellison expressed “deep disappointment” that Trump would try to dismantle programs that support students from different backgrounds: “As Minnesotans, we believe that every child, no matter their race, gender, the wealth of their family, or zip code deserves the best education possible.”