Linda McMahon elucidates Donald Trump's strategy for the Education Department
The appearance of the Education secretary nominee before the Senate HELP Committee occurs amid President Donald Trump's intention to close the agency.
TroibNews 
Education secretary nominee Linda McMahon addressed a congressional panel on Thursday, stating that Donald Trump does not intend to defund the agency he has frequently proposed dismantling. She emphasized that the future of the agency would involve congressional collaboration.
“President Trump understands that we will be working with Congress,” McMahon said during her confirmation hearing with the Senate HELP Committee. “We'd like to do this right. We'd like to make sure that we are presenting a plan that I think our senators could get on board with, and our Congress to get on board with.”
In response to Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy's inquiry about reducing the agency’s size, she added, “It’s not the president’s goal to defund the programs, only to have it operate more efficiently.”
This month, the president is anticipated to issue an executive order aimed at dismantling the Education Department. The order is expected to shift some of the agency's functions to other parts of the government and evaluate the necessary legal changes for transitioning its remaining responsibilities before ultimately closing it.
McMahon, who previously served as a business executive and ran the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, assured ranking member Sen. Bernie Sanders that Pell Grants would continue, aimed at assisting low-income students with college expenses, and expressed a desire to expand these grants for short-term workforce training. Furthermore, she informed Sen. Susan Collins that Title I funds for low-income districts and IDEA funds for students with disabilities, both allocated by Congress, would remain intact.
“Title I programs will continue to be appropriated through Congress,” McMahon stated. “Today, they go directly to the state departments of education and then are distributed to the districts. [We’re] not looking to defund or reduce any of those amounts. IDEA is the same, but might it be better served in a different agency? I'm not sure.”
The hearing experienced interruptions from protesters, some of whom were educators expressing concerns about McMahon's potential impact on their districts. One protester quipped, “can you smell what McMahon is cooking?” referencing her connection to World Wrestling Entertainment. Sen. Jim Banks commented on the protest, expressing disbelief that those shouting could be teachers, asking, “Can you imagine them teaching, these people, teaching our kids in classrooms across America and they come here and act like children with helpers?”
Lawmakers began addressing the president's intentions to close the agency early in the hearing, with Sanders highlighting the importance of its programs.
“I think everybody on this committee wants to see us go after waste and bureaucracy in every agency of government, but what we must understand is that when we talk about the Department of Education, they are providing vital resources for 26 million children in this country who live in high-poverty school districts,” he noted in his opening remarks.
“So the goal is not to abolish the Department of Education. It is to make it more effective and to make sure that it addresses the educational needs in this country,” Sanders added.
Cassidy acknowledged that the future of the Education Department would be a focal point during the hearing, citing significant issues in the education system, including declining national test scores and rising antisemitism on college campuses.
“You have enormous challenges before you. At the K-12 level, students who were behind before the pandemic are even further behind now,” Cassidy said in his introductory remarks. “Colleges and universities are not preparing students to succeed in the modern workforce. The costs of higher education are quickly outpacing the value of the degree students receive.”
Just a day prior, Trump reiterated his desire to close the agency, expressing a preference for an immediate shutdown. “I’d like it to be closed immediately,” he told reporters when questioned about the timeline. “Look, the Department of Education’s a big con job.”
McMahon's confirmation hearing is set against a backdrop of significant changes within the Education Department since Trump began his second term, including the termination of approximately $881 million in research contracts and plans to dismiss numerous civil servants. Sen. Andy Kim voiced his concerns over staff at the Office for Civil Rights being placed on leave, prompting McMahon to clarify her current detachment from departmental operations.
“I know it's not a great comfort for me to say, this morning, that I am not yet confirmed. I've not yet been in the department. I don't know about all the administrative people that have been put on leave. I want to look into that. I want to understand it,” McMahon stated.
The department's civil rights division has initiated various investigations into antisemitism on college campuses and transgender sports participation, alongside issuing new guidance regarding Title IX protections against sex-based discrimination.
The Senate HELP Committee is expected to conduct a vote to advance McMahon’s confirmation to the full Senate next Thursday.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
“President Trump understands that we will be working with Congress,” McMahon said during her confirmation hearing with the Senate HELP Committee. “We'd like to do this right. We'd like to make sure that we are presenting a plan that I think our senators could get on board with, and our Congress to get on board with.”
In response to Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy's inquiry about reducing the agency’s size, she added, “It’s not the president’s goal to defund the programs, only to have it operate more efficiently.”
This month, the president is anticipated to issue an executive order aimed at dismantling the Education Department. The order is expected to shift some of the agency's functions to other parts of the government and evaluate the necessary legal changes for transitioning its remaining responsibilities before ultimately closing it.
McMahon, who previously served as a business executive and ran the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, assured ranking member Sen. Bernie Sanders that Pell Grants would continue, aimed at assisting low-income students with college expenses, and expressed a desire to expand these grants for short-term workforce training. Furthermore, she informed Sen. Susan Collins that Title I funds for low-income districts and IDEA funds for students with disabilities, both allocated by Congress, would remain intact.
“Title I programs will continue to be appropriated through Congress,” McMahon stated. “Today, they go directly to the state departments of education and then are distributed to the districts. [We’re] not looking to defund or reduce any of those amounts. IDEA is the same, but might it be better served in a different agency? I'm not sure.”
The hearing experienced interruptions from protesters, some of whom were educators expressing concerns about McMahon's potential impact on their districts. One protester quipped, “can you smell what McMahon is cooking?” referencing her connection to World Wrestling Entertainment. Sen. Jim Banks commented on the protest, expressing disbelief that those shouting could be teachers, asking, “Can you imagine them teaching, these people, teaching our kids in classrooms across America and they come here and act like children with helpers?”
Lawmakers began addressing the president's intentions to close the agency early in the hearing, with Sanders highlighting the importance of its programs.
“I think everybody on this committee wants to see us go after waste and bureaucracy in every agency of government, but what we must understand is that when we talk about the Department of Education, they are providing vital resources for 26 million children in this country who live in high-poverty school districts,” he noted in his opening remarks.
“So the goal is not to abolish the Department of Education. It is to make it more effective and to make sure that it addresses the educational needs in this country,” Sanders added.
Cassidy acknowledged that the future of the Education Department would be a focal point during the hearing, citing significant issues in the education system, including declining national test scores and rising antisemitism on college campuses.
“You have enormous challenges before you. At the K-12 level, students who were behind before the pandemic are even further behind now,” Cassidy said in his introductory remarks. “Colleges and universities are not preparing students to succeed in the modern workforce. The costs of higher education are quickly outpacing the value of the degree students receive.”
Just a day prior, Trump reiterated his desire to close the agency, expressing a preference for an immediate shutdown. “I’d like it to be closed immediately,” he told reporters when questioned about the timeline. “Look, the Department of Education’s a big con job.”
McMahon's confirmation hearing is set against a backdrop of significant changes within the Education Department since Trump began his second term, including the termination of approximately $881 million in research contracts and plans to dismiss numerous civil servants. Sen. Andy Kim voiced his concerns over staff at the Office for Civil Rights being placed on leave, prompting McMahon to clarify her current detachment from departmental operations.
“I know it's not a great comfort for me to say, this morning, that I am not yet confirmed. I've not yet been in the department. I don't know about all the administrative people that have been put on leave. I want to look into that. I want to understand it,” McMahon stated.
The department's civil rights division has initiated various investigations into antisemitism on college campuses and transgender sports participation, alongside issuing new guidance regarding Title IX protections against sex-based discrimination.
The Senate HELP Committee is expected to conduct a vote to advance McMahon’s confirmation to the full Senate next Thursday.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
