WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is freezing $175 million in taxpayer funding to the University of Pennsylvania for defying the president’s executive action and continuing to let transgender athletes compete in women’s sports.

The funding makes up nearly one-fifth of the Ivy League university’s overall federal monies received last year. Those payments came from the Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services, a senior White House official confirmed to The Post.

“UPenn infamously permitted a male to compete on its women’s swimming team, overturning multiple records hard-earned by women, and granting the fully intact male access to the locker room,” the official said.

“This is immediate proactive action to review discretionary funding streams to those universities.”

“Promises made, promises kept,” the White House’s rapid response account also posted on X Wednesday.

The funding freeze was first reported by Fox Business Network.

A UPenn spokesperson told The Post it had “not yet received any official notification or any details” about the pause in funding, while adding “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,” the rep added.

UPenn took roughly $1 billion in federal funds in 2024, but more taxpayer money could be at risk amid a separate probe by Trump’s Department of Education into possible Title IX violations.

Trump, 78, signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” on Feb. 5 before those investigations were launched.

The elite school became the center of the controversy over transgender athlete participation after one of its male swimmers changed genders and joined the women’s team before going on to win an NCAA Division I title.

Trans swimmer Lia Thomas won the women’s 500-yard freestyle after transitioning before the 2022 season.

Thomas also went on to tie for fifth place against University of Kentucky female swimmer Riley Gaines, who has since become an outspoken opponent of trans athlete inclusion in women’s sports.

“Three years ago to the day I raced and tied a man at the DI NCAA Championships in the 200 freestyle,” Gaines posted Wednesday on X.

“Today, the Trump administration paused $175M in federal funding to University Pennsylvania for this reason. Serendipitous.”

Former Penn female swimmers Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist also filed a federal lawsuit against their alma mater last month, saying they were forced to compete with Thomas.

“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,” the swimmers said in a statement Wednesday.

“Penn and other universities within the NCAA, under NCAA policy and their own rogue leadership, have violated federal law and hurt women. They have knowingly stolen opportunities and awards from women, placed women in physical danger, and facilitated the sexual harassment of female student athletes,” they added.

“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.”

The DOE is also targeting San Jose State University for Title IX issues after it allowed a trans volleyball player to compete on its women’s team this past season.

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association may also have run afoul of the federal sex-based nondiscrimination law.

The move by Trump admin officials comes after the president also put universities in Maine in the crosshairs over possible Title IX violations.

Last month, the commander-in-chief kicked off a probe that could end with Maine schools losing $250 million in annual federal funding.

Trump had knocked the state’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills over transgender athletic policies during a governors’ summit to the White House in February.

“You better comply! Because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding,” he told Mills.

The Maine governor fired back: “See you in court!”

Reps for HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Pentagon spokesperson directed The Post to the White House for comment.