Linda McMahon in her confirmation hearing for Education secretary on Thursday vowed to work with Congress on a myriad of issues, including President Trump’s ultimate goal of ending the department she would lead.
McMahon did not hide her belief that the Department of Education should end and its essential programs should move to different parts of the federal government, but she told members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) that she recognizes the elimination of the agency could not be done without them.
When asked her top priority, she said the president “has given a clear directive that he would like to look in totality at the Department of Education and believes that the bureaucracy of it should be closed.”
The hearing largely had a tone of civility, despite multiple interruptions from protesters voicing support for public schools and trans students, among other issues.
While it is unclear if McMahon swayed any Democrats, it is very likely she will be confirmed in the GOP-controlled Senate, which has yet to reject a Trump nominee in a floor vote. The HELP panel is to vote on advancing her nomination to the full floor next Thursday.
During the hearing, McMahon emphasized her commitment that programs and money appropriated by Congress would still be carried out, despite growing Democratic concerns that Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are blocking funds approved by lawmakers.
“I also want to give you a chance to answer this, that you’re not and President Trump is not talking about cutting any funding for children. You’re not cutting funding for disabled children. You’re just talking about changing the way that the money gets to these students in schools,” newly sworn-in Ohio Sen. Jon Husted (R) asked McMahon.
“That is correct, senator,” McMahon said, emphasizing multiple times she would expect funding to continue no matter where exactly in the federal government an education program is.
Trump has repeatedly called for the termination of the federal Education Department, saying since being elected that he would like to eliminate it by executive action and that he has told McMahon he wants to see her put herself “out of a job.”
The issue grew after Democratic lawmakers were locked out of the the department’s headquarters, dozens of staffers were placed on administrative leave or fired and DOGE gained access to databases with students’ information.
Democratic senators defended the federal agency, voicing concerns about programs such as the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
“Why do you think that a department that is focused and that really is dealing with children, whether it’s civil rights, disabilities […] Why do you think that it is better to stick the functions of dealing with children with disabilities in a huge department that will not have the same priority?” Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) asked shortly after McMahon said she could see IDEA going back to the Department of Health and Human Services.
“The bottom line is because it’s not working,” McMahon responded. “The Department of Education was set up in 1980, and since that time we have spent almost a trillion dollars and we have watched our performance scores continue to go down.”
McMahon did commit during the hearing to not ending programs that have been written into law by Congress, such as the Pell Grant program.
DOGE has “already been given access to highly sensitive student data and have already started holding back money that Congress decided on a bipartisan basis was needed to help our schools and students. We’re also hearing, as you know, about an executive order coming any day that will seek to dismantle the Department of Education. These are bipartisan laws,” said Sen. Patty Muray (D-Wash.).
When asked about the administrative leaves and firings that have taken place at the department, McMahon said she is not able to answer since she is not yet there.
“It’s always difficult to downsize, it’s always difficult to restructure and reorganize in any department. I have faced that in the business world [….] I think people should always be treated with respect,” McMahon said.
“I would hope that is what is going on within the Department of Education. I’m not there in person to see that yet, but it was certainly something that I would strive to do in any reorganization,” she added.
McMahon fielded many questions about school choice, ending antisemitism on college campuses, the student loan system and transgender students.
In an exchange with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) about Trump’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion, McMahon said schools would not get in trouble for celebrations around Black History Month or Martin Luther King Jr. Day but would not commit to whether school clubs based on ethnicity or race were appropriate.
“You’re saying that it’s a possibility that if a school has a club for Vietnamese American students or Black students where they meet after school that they could be potentially in jeopardy of” losing federal funding, Murphy said.
“That’s pretty chilling. I think schools all around the country are going to hear that,” he added.
After the confirmation of much more controversial nominees such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Pete Hegseth, McMahon does not appear set for vehement pushback from the left.
“The department needs to get out of the way of states and local communities, so that they can actually address students’ needs,” said HELP Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.). “We also need to empower parents so they have a voice in their child’s education. This includes increasing access to school choice, so families can give their child every opportunity to succeed in the classroom and beyond. With President Trump back in office and Ms. McMahon’s leadership, we have a real opportunity to accomplish this.”
