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

FOX Business' Hillary Vaughn discusses President Donald Trump pausing some federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania amid Title IX investigations.

Riley Gaines, a decorated former NCAA swimmer for the University of Kentucky, praised the Trump administration on Wednesday after it was announced that $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania had been paused over the university’s inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports. 

"The Trump administration has yet again taken swift action to uphold common sense and preserve women's opportunities by pausing $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania," Gaines, the host of OutKick’s "Gaines for Girls" podcast, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. 

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

"UPenn allowed a male to compete in women’s swimming, stripping female athletes like myself and my teammates of their hard-earned podium spots, trophies, and records all while forcing them to share a locker room with this fully intact man who exposed himself to us."

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She continued, "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. More of this."

A senior administration official told FOX Business exclusively on Wednesday that the administration has paused $175 million in federal funding. This did not account for UPenn’s total federal funding, which the university previously reported last year was around $1 billion. 

The pause is not a direct result of the investigation into