Independence for Maine: How the Pine Tree State Can Defend Its Sovereignty Against Federal Coercion
The battle has begun.
The Trump administration has made its stance clear: obey, or be punished.
Donald Trump has personally threatened Governor Janet Mills, vowing to cut all federal funding unless Maine enforces his latest executive order. His message was unambiguous: "Well I … we are the federal law […] You better comply, because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding."
Maine has given its answer: see you in court.
But legal battles alone will not protect Maine’s autonomy. If the federal government is willing to weaponize funding as a bludgeon to force compliance, then Maine must prepare for total independence from Washington.
There is no cavalry coming. The courts will not save us. Congress will not save us.
Only a coordinated legal, economic, and governance resistance will defend Maine’s sovereignty.
I. Maine’s Legacy of Defiance
Maine has never been a state that follows blindly. It was the first to reject REAL ID, the first to implement ranked-choice voting, and has repeatedly defied federal mandates on issues ranging from healthcare to fisheries. The battle for state sovereignty is not new—it is Maine’s legacy.
Maine was the first state to reject the federal REAL ID Act in 2007, defying Washington’s attempt to create a national identification system. It took over a decade of federal threats before Maine finally agreed to partial compliance on its own terms.
Maine pioneered ranked-choice voting, implementing a system that Washington and the major parties opposed. When the federal government tried to interfere with the 2020 election process, Maine kept its system intact.
Maine’s refusal to comply with federal right whale protections nearly destroyed its lobster industry, demonstrating how Washington prioritizes bureaucratic mandates over Maine’s economy.
Maine’s defiance is not ideological—it is foundational. It is the political DNA of a state that has always chosen self-rule over submission.
█ Maine has resisted before. Now, it must do so again.
II. Legal Shields Against Federal Retaliation
Trump’s threats follow a long tradition of using federal funds as a weapon against state sovereignty. Maine must prepare now to render those threats meaningless.
1. Codify Maine as a "State Sovereignty Jurisdiction"
Maine must pass immediate legislation declaring that any federal order or mandate that contradicts state law is unenforceable within Maine’s borders. This would:
Block Trump’s attempts to cut funding for noncompliance.
Establish legal grounds to deny federal agencies jurisdiction over state education policy.
Prohibit any state or local official from cooperating with unconstitutional federal enforcement.
2. Expand “State Nullification” Laws
Maine must formally declare that federal overreach is null and void within state borders. This should include:
Prohibiting federal interference in education, healthcare, and economic policy.
Declaring that any federal funding cuts based on political retaliation will be challenged and reversed in state court.
Guaranteeing state-funded alternatives to any federally defunded programs.
3. Create a "Maine Legal Defense Fund"
Maine must establish a permanent, publicly backed fund to finance lawsuits against unconstitutional federal actions. This should:
Secure emergency legal responses to any Trump-backed defunding efforts.
Establish private donor funding to shield Maine from financial blackmail.
Ensure that no federal lawsuit can bankrupt state institutions.
█ If Washington wants a legal war, Maine must ensure it has the financial arsenal to fight back.
III. Cutting Off Federal Leverage: Economic Independence for Maine
Maine’s greatest vulnerability is economic dependency on federal funds. If Washington is threatening to starve the state of resources, then Maine must prepare to operate without Washington’s money.
1. Fast-Track the Maine Public Bank
Maine must establish a state-controlled financial institution that holds state tax revenues, pension funds, and emergency reserves—keeping them out of federal control.
No federal leverage over Maine’s financial system.
A direct funding mechanism for schools, healthcare, and infrastructure.
A long-term path to breaking economic dependence on federal dollars.
2. Reclaim Control Over State Revenue Streams
Maine must reduce its exposure to federal budgetary threats by:
Redirecting tax revenues to state-controlled reserves before federal disbursement.
Exploring state-controlled trade agreements with New England partners.
Ending any economic reliance on federal grants tied to political compliance.
3. Enforce Financial Noncompliance with Federal Retaliation
Maine must ensure that any federal defunding attempt results in:
A lawsuit to recover lost funds.
State-backed programs replacing lost federal dollars.
Public and private investments to make up any federal shortfall.
█ Washington’s threats only work if Maine needs Washington’s money. The answer is to break that dependency.
IV. The Litigation Front: Delay, Obstruct, and Reverse Federal Attacks
Trump’s strategy depends on speed—issuing executive orders, cutting funding, and punishing resistance before courts can intervene.
Maine must use lawfare—the deliberate weaponization of legal challenges—to grind federal overreach to a halt.
1. Flood the Courts with Challenges
Every federal action against Maine must be met with an immediate lawsuit—challenging:
The legality of using executive orders to override state education policy.
The constitutionality of withholding federal funds as political punishment.
The violation of Maine’s independent governance under the Tenth Amendment.
2. Tie Up Federal Policies in State Court
Even if Trump controls the federal courts, Maine can delay enforcement through the state judicial system.
Challenge federal orders under Maine’s constitution.
Seek state-level injunctions to prevent federal interference.
Force Trump’s DOJ into endless litigation battles.
3. Make Federal Interference Too Expensive to Enforce
If Washington wants a fight, make them fight hundreds of legal battles simultaneously.
Sue federal agencies for lost funding.
Challenge individual enforcement attempts with immediate legal action.
Drive up the cost of federal legal warfare until Trump’s administration collapses under the weight of its own lawsuits.
█ If Washington wants to break Maine, Maine must make Washington bleed for every inch.
V. The Time for Half-Measures is Over
Maine’s motto is “Dirigo”—I lead. It was the first state to reject REAL ID, the first to implement ranked-choice voting, and the first to challenge federal mandates on fisheries, immigration, and education.
Maine has always led in asserting its sovereignty.
Now, it must lead again—by proving that Radical Federalism is not just a theory, but a strategy for survival.
If Maine builds the model for state independence, other states will follow. The fight for autonomy begins here.
█ Maine must decide: Will it kneel? Or will it fight?
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Governor Janet Mills has issued her response to Trump’s threats. It reads:
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“I have spent my career – as a District Attorney, as Attorney General, and now as Governor – standing up for the rule of law in Maine and America. To me, that is fundamentally what is at stake here: the rule of law in our country.
“No President – Republican or Democrat – can withhold Federal funding authorized and appropriated by Congress and paid for by Maine taxpayers in an attempt to coerce someone into compliance with his will. It is a violation of our Constitution and of our laws, which I took an oath to uphold.
“Maine may be one of the first states to undergo an investigation by his Administration, but we won’t be the last. Today, the President of the United States has targeted one particular group on one particular issue which Maine law has addressed. But you must ask yourself: who and what will he target next, and what will he do? Will it be you? Will it be because of your race or your religion? Will it be because you look different or think differently? Where does it end? In America, the President is neither a King nor a dictator, as much as this one tries to act like it – and it is the rule of law that prevents him from being so.
“I imagine that the outcome of this politically directed investigation is all but predetermined. My Administration will begin work with the Attorney General to defend the interests of Maine people in the court of law. But do not be misled: this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot.”
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Today marks what history will call the true beginning of the resistance to Trump’s dictatorship.
Governor Mills has made her position clear: Maine will not kneel. But what matters now is what comes next. The courts cannot be relied upon to stop what is coming. Congress will not intervene. Trump has already demonstrated that his goal is to break every institution that could constrain him.
If this is to be the beginning of real resistance, it must be more than words, more than lawsuits, more than waiting for 2028. It must be the first step toward real state sovereignty, where Maine and other states build the legal, financial, and security infrastructure necessary to ensure that no federal threat—no funding cuts, no legal coercion, no federal edict—can bring them to heel.
The courts will be tied up for months, if not years, while Trump’s administration accelerates its campaign against every noncompliant state. Maine cannot afford to wait. It must act now, preparing for the day when federal institutions will not be the safeguard, but the enforcer of his rule.
This is the moment where defiance must become action. The resistance starts today.
The North will fight! Trans woman in Maine here: glad they picked a fight with us first, fucking dippy idiots.