Washington — Linda McMahon, President Trump’s nominee to become secretary of education, appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Thursday as the future of the agency that she could potentially lead hangs in the balance.
“I would like to thank President Trump for his confidence in me to lead a department whose mission and authority were a special focus of his campaign,” McMahon told the committee. “He pledged to make American education the best in the world, return education to the states where it belongs, and free American students from the education bureaucracy through school choice.”
Mr. Trump has long teased the possibility of closing the Department of Education, and he could be closer to making good on his pledge. Since taking office, the president has signed several education-related executive orders and multiple sources confirm he is considering executive action that would essentially dismantle the agency. This week, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, slashed nearly $1 billion in funding from the department and terminated dozens of contracts and grants related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. “Look, the Department of Education is a big con job.”
Under questioning from independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the committee’s ranking member, McMahon said the department could not be shut down without congressional action.
“It is set up by the United States Congress, and we work with Congress,” she said. “It clearly cannot be shut down without it.”
Ahead of her testimony, McMahon met with at least 19 senators, from GOP leadership to members of the HELP committee, including Chair Bill Cassidy, who said the pair had a “productive” discussion.
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“She is prepared to return power to parents and reform an Education Department that has lost the plot over the last 4 years of the Biden administration,” Cassidy posted on X.
Sanders joined union members from the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers who rallied against McMahon’s nomination outside of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
“We understand that public education is the backbone of American democracy where all of our people come together to learn and to grow,” Sanders told the crowd. “Our job is not to destroy public education, it is to significantly improve it!”
Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Andy Kim of New Jersey sent a letter to McMahon questioning her experience and policy views.
“You have a minimal track record on education issues and strikingly little experience pertaining to education policy,” the senators wrote. “This lack of a public record means that the American people have not been afforded the opportunity to evaluate your views on topics related to the Education Secretary’s core responsibilities.”
McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO who served as administrator of the Small Business Administration during Mr. Trump’s first term, has said she is “committed” to ensuring students have access to quality education.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with students — educators — parents and communities to strengthen our education system; ensuring every child regardless of their demographics is prepared for a bright future,” McMahon said in a statement after she was nominated by Mr. Trump last November.
Congressional Democrats have seized on Mr. Trump’s threats to eliminate the Education Department, as some House members were physically locked out of the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters when they attempted to meet with Acting Education Secretary Denise Carter last week. Layoffs at the department began on Wednesday.
“It’s important for us to allow the Department of Education to continue to do its work,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said during a weekly news conference. “That’s the heart, soul and spirit of America. For the life of me, I can’t understand why Republicans want to abolish the Department of Education. It’s baffling to me. It’s baffling to the American people, and we will continue to defend our public schools.”
Even if Mr. Trump moves forward with an executive order, legal and education experts say congressional action would be needed to fully eliminate the Department of Education.
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota introduced legislation last year that outlines a road map to abolish the Education Department and return control to the states. It would also redirect other federal agencies to oversee certain functions such as Pell grants and special education.
Shortly after Republicans took control of both chambers in January, Republican Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky introduced a one-sentence bill to terminate the agency by the end of 2026. Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, has introduced a countermeasure to protect the Department of Education.
“We will not take away opportunity for so many children,” Hayes said. “We will not eliminate Pell grants and all the programs that help people from low-income communities to go to college.”
“I think, as the American people begin to understand, ‘Oh, wait a minute, I didn’t realize that’s what this meant,’ and that’s across all the departments, I think that there’s going to be public outcry and pushback,” Hayes added, referencing Mr. Trump’s desired cuts to the federal government.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson has declared “the time has come” to disband the Education Department and said Congress should codify the president’s executive order, if enacted.
“We believe in the core principle that education is best handled by the people closest to the kids,” Johnson explained. “What does that mean? It means local school districts, local school boards. It means at the state level rather than the federal level. We think you empower parents when you do that. We give them more choice when you do that. So that’s why we’re advocates for school choice. That’s why we’re advocates for charter schools and innovative ideas. And I think you can return American education to a place of prominence and success if you allow those things to happen.”
President Jimmy Carter signed legislation in 1979 establishing the Department of Education. Federal funding accounts for less than 10% of the nation’s public school funding, which is mostly financed through state and local taxes. The agency, tasked with fostering student achievement, also administers programs for disadvantaged students and those with special needs, enforces non-discrimination policies in schools and supports federal college loan programs.
