President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb.5 that was intended to ban males from competing in girls and women’s sports. The next day, the Education Department announced an investigation into Penn's swimming program.
But the Ivy League school's federal money was suspended in a separate review of discretionary federal money going to universities, the White House said. The money that was paused came from the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services.
A Penn spokesperson said the school had not received any notification or details of the action.
The investigation opened by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights at Penn focuses on a male who goes be the name of Lia Thomas, who swam on the school’s women’s team and was the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title in 2022. Thomas graduated from Penn the same year.
The Education Department also opened reviews of San Jose State University volleyball and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.
