Trump strips Penn's federal funding over transgender athlete policy
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A sign for the University of Pennsylvania on campus in Philadelphia in December 2023. Photo: Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Trump administration on Wednesday said it paused $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its transgender athlete policy.
Why it matters: President Trump has targeted and threatened universities it believes have not complied with the administration's new policies on gender, race, identity and research, prompting hiring freezes at some schools.
State of play: The administration paused the funding over Penn's "policies forcing women to compete with men in sports," the White House's official rapid response posted on X Wednesday alongside a Fox Business segment.
- The funding was from the Departments of Defense and Health and Human Services, a senior White House official tells Axios.
- "This is immediate proactive action to review discretionary funding streams to those universities," the White House official said.
The other side: Penn. officials haven't received any official notice or details as of Thursday evening, a university spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
- The spokesperson said the university remains in compliance with NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams.
- The college is also "in full compliance with the recent changes to the NCAA rules that were made in response to the executive order from the Trump administration regarding transgender athletes," the spokesperson added. "The University does not have a policy that is separate from its governing bodies."
Zoom in: Lia Thomas, a University of Pennsylvania swimmer, became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA D1 Championship in 2022. She also graduated that year.
- Trump last month signed an executive order denying federal funds to schools that allow transgender women or girls to play in sports corresponding with their gender identity.
- In an announcement on X, the White House linked to a Fox Business report that "this is just a taste of what could be coming down the pipe for Penn."
- The funding comes from the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services, the report said.
What's next: Further federal funds are threatened by the Trump administration's investigations of more than 50 colleges over DEI practices and about 60 colleges for allegations of antisemitic harassment on campus.
- Several universities, including Penn, have instituted hiring freezes in response to financial uncertainty.
- Penn has also cut spending, and the university plans to scale back its graduate admissions to account for uncertainty around future federal funding.
Context: On March 12, the federal government restored USDA funding to the University of Maine system after launching a Title IX compliance investigation.
- The probe followed a heated exchange between Maine Gov. Susan Collins (D) and Trump, who threatened to withhold federal funding if her state didn't comply with his executive order banning transgender women from women's sports.
- Previously, the Trump administration pulled about $400 million in federal grants and contracts from Columbia for inaction regarding alleged antisemitism.
Go deeper: Trump yanks $400 million from Columbia over allegations of antisemitism
Editor's note: This article has been updated with further comment from a University of Pennsylvania spokesperson.
