The Trump administration has suspended around $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania due to a transgender swimmer who last competed for the school in 2022, the White House announced on Wednesday. On February 5, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports. The following day, the Education Department launched an investigation into Penn’s swimming program.
However, the suspension of federal funds to the university stemmed from a separate review of discretionary funding going to universities, according to the White House. The funding being withheld came from the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services.
A spokesperson for the University of Pennsylvania stated that the institution had not received any official notice or specific details regarding the action. The spokesperson, Ron Ozio, emphasized that Penn has always complied with NCAA and Ivy League policies on student-athlete participation. “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,” Ozio said.
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has launched an investigation into the University of Pennsylvania, specifically regarding Lia Thomas, who swam on the school’s women’s team. Thomas made history in 2022 as the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title. She graduated from Penn the same year.
At the time, the NCAA allowed transgender athletes to compete on a sport-by-sport basis, following the guidelines set by the respective sport’s governing body, international federation, or the International Olympic Committee. Thomas competed under these rules, which permitted transgender female swimmers who had completed at least one year of hormone replacement therapy to participate.
Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes enables federal agencies to withhold funding from entities that do not align with the administration’s interpretation of Title IX. This order defines “sex” as the gender assigned at birth, in contrast to other interpretations.
The NCAA revised its policy the day after the executive order was signed, replacing the sport-by-sport approach with a uniform policy that permits only athletes assigned female at birth to compete in women’s sports.
The Education Department also launched investigations into San Jose State University’s volleyball program and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.
