Trump Administration Reportedly Pauses Funding To U Penn Over Inclusion Of Trans Athletes

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Just over a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning biological males from competing in women's sports, his administration has reportedly paused federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania due to its inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports. 

According to a senior administration official who spoke with Fox Business, Trump has paused $175 million in federal funding to the university. While a hefty sum, it is far from the total federal funding UPenn receives as the school reported $1 billion in federal funding during the last school year.

Based upon the information shared by the senior administration official, the pause in federal funding appears to be in relation to Lia Thomas' inclusion on the women's swimming team. Thomas, a biological male, won an NCAA title in the women's 500-yard freestyle event in 2022.

"UPenn infamously permitted a male to compete on its women's swimming team, overturning multiple records hard-earned by women, and granting the fully intact male access to the locker room," the senior official told Fox Business. "This is not the result of the Title IX investigation launched by the Department of Education. UPenn is still at risk of losing all of their federal education program funds because of those investigations. This is immediate proactive action to review discretionary funding streams to those universities."

A Penn spokesperson stated that the university is aware of the reported suspension of federal funding, but has not received any official notification or any details.

According to the official, the federal funding paused was from the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Lia Thomas transgender NCAA

Trump has paused federal funding to UPenn over the university's inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

OutKick's Riley Gaines, who swam for the University of Kentucky and was forced to compete against Thomas, shared the following statement in reaction to Trump's decision to pause federal funding to Penn:

"The Trump administration has yet again taken swift action to uphold common sense and preserve women's opportunities by pausing $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania. UPenn allowed a male to compete in women’s swimming, stripping female athletes like myself and my teammates of their hard-earned podium spots, trophies, and records all while forcing them to share a locker room with this fully intact man who exposed himself to us.

This proactive step sends a clear message: institutions that disregard the integrity of women’s sports and the rights of female athletes will face consequences. More of this."

After taking away titles from female athletes and sharing a locker room with them during the 2022 National Championship, Thomas was barred from competing in the women's division by World Aquatics, the governing body for swimming. 

World Aquatics did not ban transgender athletes from competition but introduced an "open" category for transgender swimmers to compete.

Thomas sought legal action against World Aquatics, but the courts upheld the ruling to keep Thomas out of the pool with females. World Aquatics called it "a major step forward in our efforts to protect women's sports."

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets, including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016, when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.