The Trump administration has stopped around $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania. This action is related to a transgender swimmer who last competed for the school in 2022.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on February 5 to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. The next day, the Education Department began an investigation into Penn’s swimming program.
The suspended funds came from the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services. Penn said they have not received any official notice and stated that they follow all NCAA and Ivy League rules.
The investigation focuses on Lia Thomas, who was the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title in 2022. She followed the rules in place at that time.
Trump’s order allows federal agencies to stop funding if schools do not follow the administration’s interpretation of Title IX, defining sex as the gender assigned at birth. The NCAA changed its policy after this order, allowing only athletes assigned female at birth to compete in women’s sports.
The Education Department is also investigating San Jose State University volleyball and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.
