The White House said on Wednesday that the Trump administration had halted almost $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania because of a transgender athlete’s involvement in the school’s swimming team.
The Ivy League institution has been the subject of an investigation by the Education Department that focuses on its swimming program. Following President Donald Trump’s signing of an executive order last month that would prohibit transgender athletes from participating in women’s and girls’ sports, that investigation was made public.
However, the White House announced that a separate examination of discretionary federal funding for universities has suspended the federal funds. The Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services provided the funds that were suspended.
According to a Penn representative, the school was not informed of the move or given any specifics.
However, Penn has always complied with Ivy League and NCAA regulations pertaining to student involvement on athletic teams, according to spokesperson Ron Ozio. “We have been and still are in complete compliance with the rules that apply to Penn as well as all of our Ivy League and NCAA peer institutions.”
Lia Thomas, a swimmer on Penn’s women’s team and the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I championship in 2022, is the subject of the investigation launched by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights at Penn.
Additionally, the organization launched evaluations of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and San Jose State University volleyball.
