Donald Trump puts money where mouth is with $175M funding freeze for college with trans athletes
The U.S. President has made it clear on occasion that those who fail to comply with his executive order banning trans athletes from competing in women’s sports will face consequences.
Donald Trump has implemented a government funding freeze on the University of Pennsylvania for allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports, marking the first institution to face such action under his administration.
The University of Pennsylvania has had $175 million in federal funding frozen after defying Trump’s executive order. The president has repeatedly warned that institutions failing to comply with the ban risk losing federal funding and could face legal action.
This was highlighted during a recent meeting with governors at the White House, where Trump told Maine’s governor, Janet Mills, “You’re not getting any federal funding” after she challenged the order.
Mills responded, “We’ll see you in court,” prompting an investigation that found Maine in violation of Title IX. The state has been given 10 days to resolve the issue or face referral to the Justice Department.
UPenn, which received approximately $1 billion in federal funds in 2024, is now under scrutiny for allowing a male athlete to compete on its women’s swimming team and granting access to the women’s locker room.
The university became a focal point of the transgender athlete debate after Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer, won an NCAA Division I title in the women’s 500-yard freestyle in 2022. Thomas’s success sparked widespread controversy, with critics arguing that her participation undermined fairness in women’s sports.
Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who tied with Thomas in a race, has become a vocal opponent of transgender inclusion in women’s sports.
Gaines was present at the White House when Trump signed the executive order last month. Following the announcement of UPenn’s funding freeze, Gaines posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Three years ago to the day I raced and tied a man at the DI NCAA Championships in the 200 freestyle. Today, the Trump administration paused $175M in federal funding to University Pennsylvania for this reason. Serendipitous.”
The White House’s rapid response account also stated, “Promises made, promises kept,” emphasizing the administration’s commitment to enforcing the ban. Meanwhile, former UPenn female swimmers Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski, and Ellen Holmquist have filed a federal lawsuit against the university, alleging they were forced to compete against Thomas.
May Mailman, deputy assistant to the president and senior policy strategist, warned of the legal risks for institutions violating the order. “If schools don’t comply, it’s not just that they’re at risk of DOJ-based actions,” Mailman explained.
Title Nine has a private right of action component behind it, so if schools are violating the law, they’re at risk of lawsuits from their female students, that is going to actually be more than just taking away federal funding. These are multi-million dollar lawsuits.”
The funding freeze and ongoing investigations underscore the Trump administration’s hardline stance on transgender participation in women’s sports, setting a precedent for other institutions that may defy the executive order.
