In a significant development that echoes campaign promises to protect women’s sports, the Trump administration has suspended $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Fox Business reports.
According to a senior administration official, this funding pause affects discretionary spending that would have gone to UPenn from the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services. The official characterized this as a “proactive punishment” and indicated it may be just the beginning of financial consequences for the university.
The action comes three years after Lia Thomas, who competed on UPenn’s women’s swim team, won an NCAA national championship in the 500-yard freestyle event, becoming the first transgender athlete to claim a Division I national title.
The university remains under Title IX investigations related to its policies that allowed Thomas, whom the administration describes as a “biological male,” to compete on the women’s swim team. These investigations could potentially result in UPenn losing all federal funding.
President Trump had previously issued an executive order prohibiting transgender women from participating in women’s sports at institutions receiving federal funding. The administration has made it clear that universities defying this order risk losing financial support from the federal government.
The $175 million funding block represents the first major implementation of this policy under the new administration, signaling a concrete step toward fulfilling campaign promises regarding women’s sports.
UPenn officials have not yet publicly responded to this funding suspension, which could have far-reaching implications for the institution’s research programs and other initiatives typically supported by federal agencies.
