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Trump freezes $175 million in federal funding to UPenn for allowing men in women’s sports

By Emily MangiaracinaMarch 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Trump freezes $175 million in federal funding to UPenn for allowing men in women’s sports
Getty Images | U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.

The University of Pennsylvania notoriously allowed William ‘Lia’ Thomas, a male who ‘identifies’ as a woman, to compete on its women’s swimming teams and shatter female records.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — President Donald Trump has frozen $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania for allowing men on women’s sports teams in defiance of his executive order banning the practice.

“Promises made, promises kept,” remarked the White House’s rapid response account on X Wednesday.

UPenn became notorious for allowing the male swimmer William “Lia” Thomas, who identifies as a woman, to compete on the university’s female swimming team, where he proceeded to bump out his female competitors at NCAA championships and shatter women’s records after swimming for three seasons on the men’s team. 

In early February, Trump signed an executive order declaring it “the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs” that allow gender-confused men to compete against women and girls. 

He warned educational institutions at the time, “If you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and risk your federal funding.”  

Passed in 1972, Title IX was enacted in order to prohibit sex-based discrimination in schools that receive federal funding. In recent years, Democrats have contorted its original intent to include gender-confused males and females under its umbrella.   

On February 24, the University of Pennsylvania referred in a statement to “recent executive orders,” affirming its commitment to “principled nondiscrimination, expanding access, and embracing diversity in all its forms.” It did not call out specific executive orders, but seemed to be possibly doubling down on its decision to allow men to compete in women’s sports.

The $175 million now withheld in funding only makes up about one-fifth of the billion dollars in cash flow the Ivy League university received from the federal government last year, according to the New York Post.

U.S. & Politics
March 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
EM

Emily Mangiaracina

Emily Mangiaracina is a Miami-based journalist for LifeSiteNews. She is a 2013 graduate of the University of Florida. Emily is most passionate about the Traditional Latin Mass and promoting the teachings of the Catholic Church.
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Article At A Glance

  • The University of Pennsylvania notoriously allowed William ‘Lia’ Thomas, a male who ‘identifies’ as a woman, to compete on its women’s swimming teams and shatter female records.

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