PHILADELPHIA: President Donald Trump’s administration has suspended $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), targeting the Ivy League institution for allowing transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete on its women’s team, the White House announced on March 19, 2025. The move, described as a “proactive punishment,” escalates Trump’s campaign to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports, spotlighting a divisive issue that has sparked national debate.
The funding freeze, affecting contracts with the Department of Defense and Health and Human Services, follows Trump’s executive order last month banning “biological men” from women’s and girls’ sports. The White House rapid response team posted on X, claiming UPenn’s policies “force women to compete with men in sports,” and hailed the action with Trump’s tagline: “Promises made, promises kept.” A senior official warned this is “just a taste” of potential further cuts, with all federal funding—over $1 billion annually—at risk as a Title IX investigation looms, per Fox Business.
Lia Thomas, who in 2022 became the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming championship while at UPenn, has been at the heart of the controversy. Her participation, permitted under NCAA and Ivy League rules at the time, drew ire for allegedly giving her an unfair edge and violating teammates’ privacy in locker rooms. Three former teammates sued UPenn last month, claiming Thomas’ inclusion denied them “equal opportunities” and breached their rights under Title IX, the 1972 law barring sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.
UPenn, where Trump earned his undergraduate degree, pushed back. “We’ve received no official notification of a funding suspension,” a spokesperson said, stressing the university’s compliance with NCAA and Ivy League policies then and now. Critics, including some on X, call the penalty transphobic, noting Thomas graduated three years ago and fewer than 10 transgender athletes compete across the NCAA’s 500,000 participants.
Trump’s order frames transgender participation as “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous,” citing biological differences and privacy concerns. It’s part of a broader agenda: since taking office, Trump has signed orders recognizing only two sexes on federal documents, banning transgender military service, and restricting gender-affirming care for those under 19—though the latter two are stalled in court. The Education Department has also launched Title IX probes into UPenn and other schools, threatening further funding cuts.
For UPenn, the $175 million hit—about 17.5% of its federal funds—could disrupt research and operations, with the National Institutes of Health alone providing $250 million annually. As the debate rages, the clash between transgender inclusion and traditional notions of fairness in women’s sports shows no signs of cooling, with Trump’s latest move drawing both fierce support and sharp condemnation.
