The Trump administration paused $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania for allowing transgender-identifying, biological men to compete in women’s sports.
The $175 million does not account for the university’s total federal funding.
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order to keep men out of women’s sports. The order said the inclusion of men is “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.”
“Therefore, it is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy,” the order said. “It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”
The Trump admin has also paused funding to the University of Maine System (UMS) in response to the network’s refusal to keep biological men out of women’s sports in compliance with President Trump’s executive order.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) previously awarded $29.78 to the university system for research projects. More than $100 million has been granted to UMS in recent years, the USDA noted.
Maine has also moved to push for transgender athlete inclusion in high school sports. The Maine Principals’ Association (MPA), the primary governing body for high school athletics in the state, announced in February that it would continue to allow transgender athletes to participate in sports teams that align with their gender identity. The effort was grounded in Maine’s Human Rights Act.
