WASHINGTON — The new U.S. attorney general, Trump-appointee Pam Bondi, threatened to cut off federal funds if Minnesota doesn’t confirmed to Trump policy preferences. At stake: $23 billion, which comprises a third of the state budget. In a letter to state Attorney General Keith Ellison, Bondi said she wouldn’t want to want to sue the state or terminate federal funds but was prepared to do so: “Minnesota should be on notice.” Bondi was specific about transgender athletes. “This Department of Justice,” she said, “ will defend women and does not tolerate state officials who ignore federal law.” She sent the same letter to state attorneys general in California and Maine, which like Minnesota do not discriminate against transgender persons. “Allowing men and boys to compete in women’s and girls’ sports is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls,” Bondi said. Her letter also went to Erich Martens, who heads the Minnesota State High School, League. which governs school athletics.
Bondi. Long history with Trump. On degense team in his 2019 and 2021 impeachments.