The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) decided to test the waters, and now they’re swimming in a $175 million dollar freeze in federal funds.

President Donald Trump has been in office for just two months, but he’s already taken a sledgehammer to what many call “woke ideology.” The November election, with Trump’s historic victory, revealed an America in which the vast majority of its citizens wanted change. Among the many issues, one concern for a large portion of the country is getting men out of women’s athletics.

As promised during his presidential campaign, Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order in early February. To any school that would dare defy this order, Trump put forth one message: Don’t comply, kiss federal funding goodbye. Many schools have already defied Trump’s executive orders on issues ranging from removing DEI to tackling campus anti-Semitism. Columbia University, for instance, recently lost $400 million in funding due to its “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”

Additionally, the Department of Education recently launched an investigation on over 50 universities for their DEI policies. On the issue of protecting female sports, Trump has already pulled funding from schools in Maine that are defying his Title IX rule. However, Trump pulling millions from UPenn is a moment few are likely to forget.

The fight to keep men out of women’s sports seems to have gained national traction at UPenn. It’s where the trans-identifying man, Lia Thomas, took the podium in 2022. The 6’1” biological male transferred to the women’s swim team and immediately dominated in the pool. Riley Gaines, a former NCAA All-American swimmer for the University of Kentucky, also had her start here as an activist on this issue when Thomas tied her for first in her event. Gaines and her teammates found themselves eclipsed by Thomas’s undeniable physical advantage and nude presence in the women’s locker room.

This friction at UPenn became the flashpoint that ignited the ongoing movement to safeguard the fairness and dignity of female athletics. Even now, in 2025, UPenn refuses to alter their policies, which is why the Trump administration ultimately pulled the financial plug. Notably, an administration official told Fox Business that Wednesday’s pause in funding was not a result of the Department of Education’s Title IX investigation of UPenn. Rather, it was a “proactive punishment” targeting “its policies forcing women to compete with men in sports.” In fact, the frozen funds come from the Departments of Defense (for research) and Health and Human Services.

Gaines celebrated the Trump administration’s decision. “Three years ago to the day,” she wrote on X Wednesday, “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 [of] Pennsylvania for this reason. Serendipitous.” In a comment to Fox, she elaborated, “This proactive step sends a clear message: institutions that disregard the integrity of women’s sports and the rights of female athletes will face consequences.”

But while Gaines and others cheered the move, UPenn stood firm in its position, responding with a statement. They claimed that they’re aware of the funding freeze “but have not yet received any official notification or any details.” However, they also went on to state “that Penn has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams. We have been in the past, and remain today, in full compliance with the regulations that apply to not only Penn, but all of our NCAA and Ivy League peer institutions.”

Family Research Council’s Mary Szoch, a former Division I athlete, told The Washington Stand that UPenn has not demonstrated “that they know the difference between a man and a woman and are taking steps to protect women’s safety and ability to compete fairly.” Until they do, she added, “they shouldn’t receive a dime of federal funding. Hopefully this is a wake-up call for them.” Szoch pointed out that “the Trump administration doesn’t mess around — if UPenn is openly defying the policy of not allowing men to play women’s sports, UPenn will continue to lose money. Apparently common sense is in short supply at this Ivy League.”

“Praise God that the Trump administration recognizes that men should not play women’s sports,” Szoch concluded. “It would be nice if our universities did the same.”