Trump Admin Targets States Violating Women’s Sports Order, California Under Federal Review

Education Secretary Linda McMahon confirmed Wednesday that the Trump administration is actively investigating states that violate the executive order barring male athletes from participating in women’s sports, and warned that penalties, including loss of federal funding, are being considered for noncompliant schools.

Sat down with a powerhouse group of all-female reporters for Title IX Month to share our continued efforts to defend women’s rights! pic.twitter.com/th3Zi6xOSf

— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) June 18, 2025

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Speaking during a roundtable with reporters in Washington, McMahon addressed concerns regarding enforcement of Title IX, the landmark civil rights statute that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.

The Biden-Harris administration previously attempted to expand the definition of “sex” to include “gender identity,” a move the Trump administration reversed earlier this year with a new executive order aimed at reinforcing biological definitions under Title IX.

The Biden Admin has just officially abolished Title IX as we knew it. Now, sex = gender identity.

In a nutshell, the new rewrite means:
– men can take academic AND athletic scholarships from women
– men will have FULL access to bathrooms, locker rooms, etc
– men could be… pic.twitter.com/JfQVI9Yfph

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 19, 2024

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President Donald Trump’s order clarified that schools must not allow biological males to compete in female athletic divisions or risk losing federal funding.

The order was signed amid rising national debate over fairness in women’s sports and state-level policies permitting male athletes to participate in girls’ competitions.

When asked by Townhall what enforcement measures are underway, McMahon outlined the process the Department of Education follows when such cases arise.

“We do investigate…our Office of Civil Rights (OCR) investigates any of those allegations, and if there is a finding, sometimes we can negotiate with that particular school. Or, we can turn it over to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate further,” McMahon stated.

California is among the states currently under scrutiny.

The investigation follows a recent incident in which a 16-year-old male athlete, AB Hernandez, competed in a high school girls’ track and field meet and won first place in both the high jump and triple jump events.

The competition took place earlier this month and reignited concerns over fairness and compliance with federal directives.

Male track athlete dominates California’s women’s state championships pic.twitter.com/YA8L84izuR

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 1, 2025

McMahon also called out California Governor Gavin Newsom for what she described as inconsistency on the issue.

“It’s unfortunate with Gov. Newsom in California because he comes out and says ‘Hey, there’s no room for boys to compete in girls’ sports.’ He says that, very forcefully. Then he does nothing about it and he allows it to happen. We are continuing our investigation in California and other states…then we take action,” she said.

“One of the potential actions we can take, also, is taking federal funds away from some of the schools that are in noncompliance. So, those options are on the table as well,” McMahon added.

In response to the incident in California, President Trump posted on Truth Social that “large scale fines” would be imposed on the state.

BREAKING: President Trump is imposing large scale fines on California for allowing men to compete in women’s sports.

FAFO. pic.twitter.com/TP8ooNyZY8

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 3, 2025

While no formal penalties have been announced yet, administration officials have signaled that enforcement measures will escalate if states fail to comply with the order.

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is currently reviewing complaints in multiple jurisdictions.

The administration has not specified a timeline for when findings or penalties might be issued but emphasized that the investigations are ongoing and that enforcement of Title IX as written will remain a priority.

The executive order remains a key component of the Trump administration’s broader policy agenda to preserve women’s sports and reaffirm biological standards in public education.

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