President Donald Trump warned on 21 Aug. that his administration will withhold federal funding from any California school district that fails to comply with its transgender policies. “Any California school district that doesn’t adhere to our transgender policies will not be funded,” Trump said, without detailing when or how the cuts would be implemented. The threat intensifies a months-long confrontation between the White House and state and local education systems over gender identity and diversity initiatives. Earlier this year the administration told states to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs or risk losing grants, and it has opened civil-rights investigations into districts that maintain transgender-inclusive rules. California officials have not yet responded to Trump’s latest statement, which comes days before most of the state’s 6 million public-school students return to classrooms.