Trump administration pauses $175M in funding to UPenn over trans athlete policy
The Trump administration has paused $175M in funding to UPenn over its trans athlete policy, such as Lia Thomas’ inclusion in sports (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump’s administration has paused $175 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) over its policy of inclusion for trans athletes such as swimmer Lia Thomas.
As announced by a post on X (19 March) from the White House’s official ‘Rapid Response’ account, the Trump administration, the arrival of which was heralded by several anti-trans and LGBTQ+ executive orders, has paused the federal funding “over its policies forcing women to compete with men in sports.”
The tagline “promises made, promises kept” signed off the clip from the Fox News network.
The rescinding of funding seems to target UPenn athletes such as trans swimmer Lia Thomas.
As reported by NBC Connecticut, the state University said that while it is aware of media reports, it has not received any official notice of the suspension of funds from the administration.
“It is important to note… that Penn has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams,” the spokesperson said in an email to the publication.
“We have been in the past, and remain today, in full compliance with the regulations that apply to not only Penn, but all of our NCAA and Ivy League peer institutions.”
BREAKING: The Trump Administration has "paused $175 million in federal funding from the University of Pennsylvania" over its policies forcing women to compete with men in sports.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 19, 2025
Promises made, promises kept. pic.twitter.com/o4yiiqtH9d
In February, Trump signed many executive orders, with one banning trans women and girls from competing female sports.
The order said that the inclusion of trans women in female sports, “is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.”
It continued: “…it is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy.”
A White House official described the funding pause as an “immediate proactive action to review discretionary funding streams to those universities.”
UPenn made headlines in 2022, when transgender swimmer Lia Thomas competed on the women’s swim team. She became the first trans woman to win an NCAA swimming championship.
Trump’s education department has also recently demanded trans college athletes – like Lia Thomas – be stripped of their titles.
Thomas faced intense backlash after winning the title, including deadnaming and misgendering from several conservative news outlets and Trump himself.
NBC Connecticut also reports that “three former Penn swimmers filed a lawsuit last month that accuses the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, the Ivy League and the NCAA of violating Title IX, a civil rights law that prevents sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal funding.”
The trio allege that by UPenn allowing transgender swimmers such as Thomas to compete, they have violated Title IX.
Stanford University also recently moved to ban trans athletes from competing in women’s sports.
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