WASHINGTON — U.S. schooling secretary nominee Linda McMahon advised a Senate panel Thursday that, if confirmed, she wouldn’t defund public faculties however would search to reform the U.S. Division of Schooling by lowering federal forms and bringing faculties again to the fundamentals of studying and math.
“We’re failing our college students, our Division of Schooling, and what we’re doing at present just isn’t working, and we have to change it,” McMahon mentioned.
Nevertheless, when requested about some particular modifications she would make to Schooling Division programming, McMahon mentioned, if confirmed, she would consider division capabilities earlier than making suggestions. She mentioned she would “reorient the division towards serving to educators, not controlling them.”
The two ½-hour affirmation listening to, held by the Committee on Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions, was briefly interrupted 5 instances by folks protesting McMahon’s nomination. The Republican-controlled Senate is anticipated to approve McMahon’s nomination within the coming days.
McMahon’s affirmation listening to comes amid drastic modifications on the Schooling Division. President Donald Trump has already issued numerous govt orders that severely restrict federal funding, prohibit actions associated to variety, fairness and inclusion, and name for an finish to “indoctrination” in Okay-12 faculties, which he mentioned contains “gender ideology and discriminatory fairness ideology.”
Trump can be anticipated to challenge an govt order that might considerably scale back the Schooling Division’s authority and accountability within the federal authorities.
In fiscal yr 2024, the Schooling Division acquired $79.1 billion from Congress. Lawmakers have but to approve FY 2025 funding.
Among the many Schooling Division’s obligations is managing $1.6 trillion in greater schooling scholar loans.
A protester disrupts Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. schooling secretary, as she testifies throughout her Senate Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions Committee affirmation listening to on Capitol Hill on Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Kayla Bartkowski by way of Getty Pictures
Trump nominated McMahon simply weeks after successful the November election. McMahon served as administrator of the Small Enterprise Administration for 2 years in Trump’s first administration. She can be a former president and CEO of World Wrestling Leisure.
McMahon can be board chair at America First Coverage Institute, a nonprofit suppose tank that helps free enterprise and nationalism. On the state stage, McMahon served on the Connecticut State Board of Schooling. She additionally served as a trustee at Sacred Coronary heart College, a non-public Catholic college in Fairfield, Connecticut. She is at the moment the treasurer on the college’s Board of Trustees, in response to the varsity’s web site.
In 2012, she received the Connecticut Republican major for U.S. Senate however misplaced to present Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who’s a member of the HELP committee.
If the Senate approves McMahon’s nomination, she would succeed Miguel Cardona because the thirteenth U.S. schooling secretary because the division’s founding in 1979.
Listed below are three takeaway exchanges from the affirmation listening to.
Antisemitism on faculty campuses
A number of Republican senators requested McMahon about antisemitism on faculty campuses.
“Will you guarantee that Jewish People are secure on our campuses, for heaven’s sake?” requested Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., referring to “a wave of antisemitism” notably because the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel. “Will you guarantee that this stops on our faculty campuses which might be getting all of this federal tax cash?”
McMahon mentioned she would “completely,” or faculties would “face defunding of their monies.”
A number of senators requested McMahon concerning the Schooling Division’s accountability for the federal scholar mortgage program. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., questioned McMahon’s dedication to current public service mortgage forgiveness applications handed by Congress.
“These which were handed by Congress? Sure, that is the legislation,” McMahon mentioned.
Committee Chair Invoice Cassidy, R-La., mentioned McMahon’s expertise overseeing the Small Enterprise Administration “could be an ideal asset because the division seems to be to reform a really damaged scholar mortgage program.”
In the course of the listening to, McMahon additionally voiced help for extra skill-based studying and twin enrollment in Okay-12. “I believe we’ve to take a look at schooling and say our vocational and skill-based coaching just isn’t a default schooling,” McMahon mentioned.
Closing the Schooling Division
A number of Democratic lawmakers probed McMahon about Trump’s push to eradicate the Schooling Division. On Wednesday, Trump referred to the division as a “massive con job” and mentioned he needed the company closed instantly.
“The president has given a really clear directive that he want to look in totality on the Division of Schooling, and believes that the forms of it must be closed, that we should always return schooling to our states, that one of the best schooling is that closest to the youngsters,” McMahon mentioned.
She acknowledged that solely Congress has the ability to close down the company. And McMahon famous that applications established by federal statute would wish to proceed with or with out an Schooling Division.
However she mentioned she was open to exploring whether or not the Schooling Division’s civil rights investigation arm may transfer to the U.S. Division of Justice and whether or not IDEA obligations may shift to the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers.
When talking of IDEA, McMahon mentioned, “I am unsure that it isn’t higher served in HHS, however I do not know.” She mentioned that if she’s confirmed, she would make it a excessive precedence to make sure funds for college students with disabilities usually are not impacted.
“It’s extremely essential that these applications proceed to be funded,” she mentioned.
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., mentioned “To be clear right here, you are going to put particular schooling within the fingers of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,” referring to the newly named HHS secretary who has refused to say vaccines do not trigger autism.
Title IX protections
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., requested McMahon if she would help language within the regulation for Title IX — a federal intercourse discrimination legislation — that claims faculties should tackle sexual harassment that’s both “extreme or pervasive.” At present, Title IX regulation says sexual harassment that’s “extreme and pervasive” is prohibited, which is a better threshold for investigations.
“I do not consider there must be any acceptance of sexual harassment, senator,” McMahon mentioned.
Baldwin replied, “I hope that you’ll take your place and press for that to be the legislation.”
Baldwin additionally raised issues about McMahon’s help for sexual assault victims, because the nominee is a defendant in a lawsuit filed by former World Wrestling Leisure staff alleging sexual harassment and abuse.
“If confirmed, you may be accountable with overseeing the Division of Schooling Workplace of Civil Rights, charged with guaranteeing equal entry to schooling via vigorous enforcement of civil rights legal guidelines,” Baldwin mentioned. “I’m so involved about whether or not sexual assault survivors on campus can belief you to help them.”
McMahon replied, “They actually can belief me to help them.”
All through the listening to, McMahon mentioned the Schooling Division would shield college students from discrimination and harassment. One instance she gave was prohibiting faculties from letting transgender women and girls play on girls’s designated sport groups. She additionally mentioned the Schooling Division would shield the rights of oldsters “to direct the ethical schooling of their kids.”
Hassan mentioned the listening to felt like “elegant gaslighting” due to McMahon’s ambitions for the Schooling Division, which is being threatened with closure by President Trump.
“The entire listening to proper now feels form of surreal to me,” Hassan mentioned.
