OAN Staff James Meyers
11:25 AM – Wednesday, March 19, 2025
The Trump administration announced that it’s freezing $175 million in taxpayer funding for the University of Pennsylvania for defying the president’s executive action and continuing to let transgender athletes compete in women’s sports.
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The pulled funding makes up almost one-fifth of the Ivy League University’s overall federal monies received last year. According to Fox Business, the funding came from the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Promises made, promises kept,” the White House’s account posted on X Wednesday.
The Ivy League university now risks losing all of its federal funding amid an investigation into potential Title IX violations after taking $1 billion in federal funds in 2024.
However, the pause in funding is not a direct result of the investigation into UPenn, which the Department of Education announced a day after the 47th president signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order on February 5th.
The Ivy League school became the center of attention over transgender athlete participation after one of its male swimmers changed genders and began competing for the women’s team, eventually going on to win an NCAA Division I title.
Trans swimmer Lia Thomas won the women’s 500-yard freestyle after transitioning before the 2022 season.
Thomas then also tied for fifth place against then University of Kentucky female swimmer Riley Gaines, who is now an outspoken critic of trans athletes playing in women’s sports.
“Three years ago to the day I raced and tied a man at the DI NCAA Championships in the 200 freestyle,” Gaines posted Wednesday on X.
“Today, the Trump administration paused $175M in federal funding to University Pennsylvania for this reason. Serendipitous.”
The departments will also go after San Jose State University for Title IX issues after it allowed a trans volleyball player to compete on its women’s team.
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association may have also violated the federal sex-based nondiscrimination law.
The latest shutdown in funding also comes after Trump put colleges in Maine in the spotlight over possible Title IX violations.
In February, the 47th president started an investigation that could end with Maine schools losing $250 million in annual federal funding.
During a governor’s summit last month, Trump criticized Maine’s Governor Janet Mills (D-Maine) over transgender athletic policies, claiming that her state needs to get in line with the policies.
“You better comply! Because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding,” he told Mills.
The Maine governor fired back: “See you in court!”
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