Riley Gaines, former Lia Thomas opponent, praises Trump admin for pausing federal funds to UPenn

Riley Gaines, a decorated former NCAA swimmer for the University of Kentucky, praised the Trump medication connected Wednesday aft it was announced that $175 cardinal successful national backing to the University of Pennsylvania had been paused implicit the university’s inclusion of transgender athletes successful women’s sports. 

"The Trump medication has yet again taken swift enactment to uphold communal consciousness and sphere women's opportunities by pausing $175 cardinal successful national backing to the University of Pennsylvania," Gaines, the big of OutKick’s "Gaines for Girls" podcast, told Fox News Digital connected Wednesday. 

Riley Gaines speaks earlier Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis astatine the Greenville Convention Center connected June 2, 2023. (McKenzie Lange/Staff/USA Today Network)

"UPenn allowed a antheral to vie successful women’s swimming, stripping pistillate athletes similar myself and my teammates of their hard-earned podium spots, trophies, and records each portion forcing them to stock a locker country with this afloat intact antheral who exposed himself to us."

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She continued, "This proactive measurement sends a wide message: institutions that disregard the integrity of women’s sports and the rights of pistillate athletes volition look consequences. More of this."

A elder medication authoritative told FOX Business exclusively connected Wednesday that the medication has paused $175 cardinal successful national funding. This did not relationship for UPenn’s full national funding, which the assemblage antecedently reported past twelvemonth was astir $1 billion. 

The intermission is not a nonstop effect of the probe into UPenn, which the Department of Education announced a time aft the president signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" enforcement bid connected Feb. 5.

Lia Thomas cheers for teammates astatine the Ivy League swimming and diving championships astatine Harvard, Feb. 19, 2022, successful Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES $175M IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO UPENN OVER INCLUSION OF TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS

In a connection to Fox News Digital, a assemblage spokesperson said UPenn has not received immoderate "official notification" of the backing pause, and added that the assemblage was and is successful "full compliance" with NCAA and Ivy League policies. 

"We are alert of media reports suggesting a suspension of $175 cardinal successful national backing to Penn, but person not yet received immoderate authoritative notification oregon immoderate details. It is important to note, however, that Penn has ever followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding pupil information connected diversion teams. We person been successful the past, and stay today, successful afloat compliance with the regulations that use to not lone Penn, but each of our NCAA and Ivy League adjacent institutions."

Gaines, a erstwhile 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer, recovered herself astatine the halfway of nationalist attraction erstwhile she tied with UPenn’s Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer, successful the 2022 NCAA National Championships. 

Riley Gaines famously tied Lia Thomas for 5th spot successful the 200 freestyle finals astatine the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. (Brett Davis-USA Today Sports)

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Thomas and Gaines some tied for 5th spot successful the 200-yard freestyle final, but it was Thomas that was fixed the fifth-place trophy to airs for photos with. Thomas would besides spell connected to triumph a nationalist title rubric successful the women’s 500-yard freestyle. 

UPenn inactive stands astatine hazard of losing each its national backing amid an probe into imaginable Title IX violations. 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said successful a connection provided by the Education Department past period that 3 institutions would beryllium investigated for suspected Title IX violations. 

In summation to UPenn, San Jose State University, which made headlines successful the autumn aft respective schools refused to play the women’s volleyball squad due to the fact that of a trans jock connected the roster, and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association are besides being investigated for suspected violations. 

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