Lia Thomas former UPenn teammates react to $175M federal funding pause: Cost to openly harming female students
President Donald Trump’s administration has ramped up its crackdown on trans athlete inclusion in women’s sports, and many women impacted by the issue are speaking out in support. After the administration paused $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports, which FOX Business exclusively reported Wednesday, many of the women who had to compete alongside former transgender UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas have spoken out in celebration of the funding pause. Three of Thomas’ former UPenn teammates, Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist, provided a joint statement to Fox News Digital, via the Independent Council for Women’s Sports (ICONS) praising the Trump administration’s action. “We are so glad that Universities are beginning to see that there is a cost to openly harming female students on their campuses and we hope the pressure only increases.Penn and other universities within the NCAA, under NCAA policy and their own rogue leadership, have violated federal law and hurt women,” the statement read. “They have knowingly stolen opportunities and awards from women, placed women in physical danger, and facilitated the sexual harassment of female student athletes.
Every woman on a college campus and under NCAA regulations should be assured of Title IX protections.Institutions that disregard the well-being of women have to understand they don’t get to rewrite or ignore federal protections that women rely on.”In a statement to Fox News Digital, a university spokesperson said UPenn has not received any “official notification” of the funding pause, and added that the university was and is in “full compliance” with NCAA and Ivy League policies. “We are aware of media reports suggesting a suspension of $175 million in federal funding to Penn, but have not yet received any official notification or any details.
It is important to note, however, ...