The Trump Administration has notified the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) that it will suspend all grant funding via the U.S. Department of the Interior until the state agency ends a policy that discriminates against employees based on sex.
In a May 8 letter obtained by the Maine Wire, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Paul Souza informed MDIFW Commissioner Judy A. Camuso that all federal grant funding to her agency will cease by May 15 unless the department brings its hiring policies into compliance with federal civil rights law.
“The MDIFW’s policy discriminates in the composition of hiring panels by requiring a quota based on sex,” Souza stated in the letter.
“Accordingly, MDIFW is not in compliance with 20 U.S.C. § 1681 which prohibits discrimination based on sex and is therefore also out of compliance with 2 C.F.R. Part 200,” Souza said. “The Department has therefore given this notice that MDIFW is out of compliance with applicable law. However, MDIFW has an opportunity to comply with applicable Federal law before further action is taken.”
The policy at the center of the controversy is available publicly on the MDIFW website. It reads:
“All hiring panels assembled for the review and selection of IFW employees will be comprised of 50% women. In the event there is an uneven number of panelists organizers shall make every effort to include more women.”
Federal officials argue this mandate amounts to a discriminatory quota system in violation of federal law, including Title IX, which bars sex-based discrimination by entities receiving federal funding.
Souza’s letter makes clear that unless MDIFW rescinds the rule within seven business days and provides formal notice of compliance, the Department of the Interior will pull the plug on all federal support.
“We understand the importance of the programs and initiatives supported by the Department and we regret the necessity of this action,” Souza wrote. “However, the Department is committed to ensuring that all recipients of Federal funds adhere to Federal law.”
The ultimatum sets the stage for another potential legal battle between the Trump Administration and Maine’s Democratic leadership over whether identity-based hiring practices can be federally subsidized.
[RELATED: Maine Drops Lawsuit Against USDA, $3M Federal Funding Freeze Lifted…]
According to the 538 page MDIFW document entitled, “Administrative Policies,” the sex-based quota system was established in January 2020, shortly after Camuso was appointed to run the agency — the first woman to ever hold the position.
She had previously served at MDIFW as the Director of the Bureau of Wildlife.
State payroll records show Camuso received taxpayer-funded compensation worth $207,807.84 in 2024.
Prior to catching a promotion thanks to Gov. Janet Mills, Camuso earned a measly $102,352.88 in 2018.
Prior to Gov. Mills, MDIFW was regarded as one of the least politicized agencies of Maine’s state bureaucracy, responsible primarily for managing fishing and hunting in the state.
Under Gov. Mills and Camuso, however, the agency has embraced left-wing culture and far left ideas about gender and human sexuality.
In February 2024, for example, MDIFW partnered with Queerly ME, Out in the Open, and Out Maine, a taxpayer-funded trans advocacy group that targets children, to host an event promoting outdoor activities for the LGBTQAI+ community.
The nominal purpose of the ““Traps+Trails LGBTQAI+ Winter Outdoor Extravaganza” event was to encourage more homosexuals and transsexuals to fish, trap, and hunt.
Traditionally, MDIFW has offered events focused on firearm safety, hunter education, boating safety, snowmobile safety, and archery, without regard for the sexual preferences of participants.
MDIFW did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UPDATE: The Maine Wire has obtained an email sent by Camuso in which she claims that the underlying policy
