President Donald Trump’s administration paused funding for the University of Pennsylvania for allowing transgender athletes, namely, Will “Lia” Thomas, to compete against women.
On X, the White House revealed that $175 million in funding has been stopped for the university.
“Promises made, promises kept,” the White House said.
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
When Trump took office, he signed an executive order banning men from women’s sports. In remarks from the White House, Trump vowed to rip away funding from universities that defy the order, as Townhall covered.
The freeze in funding is part of a Title IX investigation into the school.
Over the years, Townhall extensively reported how Penn allowed Thomas, a grown man, to invade women’s private spaces and compete on the women’s swim team. Women bravely spoke out about this, even after the school’s athletic department went to lengths to try to silence them.
In one instance, Thomas competed at the NCAA championships and robbed women of awards. In one event, Thomas tied with Riley Gaines, who was representing the University of Kentucky. After the podium photo op, Gaines was told to let Thomas take the trophy home. She left empty handed, as she told Townhall in an interview shortly after.
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Three years ago to the day I raced and tied a man at the DI NCAA Championships in the 200 freestyle.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) March 19, 2025
Today, the Trump administration paused $175M in federal funding to University Pennsylvania for this reason.
Serendipitous. pic.twitter.com/97X9s9S7Bu
Last year, it was revealed that Thomas was part of a secretive legal battle in hopes of overturning a rule established by World Aquatics prohibiting males who think they’re “transgender” from competing against women.
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