WASHINGTON — U.S. training secretary nominee Linda McMahon informed a Senate panel Thursday that, if confirmed, she wouldn’t defund public faculties however would search to reform the U.S. Division of Training by decreasing federal forms and bringing faculties again to the fundamentals of studying and math.
“We’re failing our college students, our Division of Training, 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 adjustments she would make to Training Division programming, McMahon mentioned, if confirmed, she would consider division features 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, Training, Labor and Pensions, was briefly interrupted 5 instances by individuals 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 adjustments on the Training 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 cut back the Training Division’s authority and accountability within the federal authorities.
In fiscal yr 2024, the Training Division acquired $79.1 billion from Congress. Lawmakers have but to approve FY 2025 funding.
Among the many Training Division’s tasks is managing $1.6 trillion in greater training scholar loans.
A protester disrupts Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. training secretary, as she testifies throughout her Senate Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions Committee affirmation listening to on Capitol Hill on Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Kayla Bartkowski through Getty Photographs
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 degree, McMahon served on the Connecticut State Board of Training. She additionally served as a trustee at Sacred Coronary heart College, a non-public Catholic faculty in Fairfield, Connecticut. She is at present the treasurer on the college’s Board of Trustees, in keeping with the college’s web site.
In 2012, she gained 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. training secretary for the reason that division’s founding in 1979.
Listed here are three takeaway exchanges from the affirmation listening to.
Antisemitism on school campuses
A number of Republican senators requested McMahon about antisemitism on school campuses.
“Will you guarantee that Jewish Individuals are protected on our campuses, for heaven’s sake?” requested Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., referring to “a wave of antisemitism” significantly for the reason that Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel. “Will you guarantee that this stops on our school campuses which are 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 Training 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 regulation,” McMahon mentioned.
Committee Chair Invoice Cassidy, R-La., mentioned McMahon’s expertise overseeing the Small Enterprise Administration “could be an awesome asset because the division appears to be like to reform a really damaged scholar mortgage program.”
Throughout the listening to, McMahon additionally voiced assist for extra skill-based studying and twin enrollment in Okay-12. “I feel we now have to have a look at training and say our vocational and skill-based coaching just isn’t a default training,” McMahon mentioned.
Closing the Training Division
A number of Democratic lawmakers probed McMahon about Trump’s push to eradicate the Training Division. On Wednesday, Trump referred to the division as a “large con job” and mentioned he needed the company closed instantly.
“The president has given a really clear directive that he wish to look in totality on the Division of Training, and believes that the forms of it must be closed, that we must always return training to our states, that the most effective training 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 Training Division.
However she mentioned she was open to exploring whether or not the Training Division’s civil rights investigation arm might transfer to the U.S. Division of Justice and whether or not IDEA tasks might shift to the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers.
When talking of IDEA, McMahon mentioned, “I am undecided 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 kids 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 training 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 assist language within the regulation for Title IX — a federal intercourse discrimination regulation — that claims faculties should tackle sexual harassment that’s both “extreme or pervasive.” Presently, Title IX regulation says sexual harassment that’s “extreme and pervasive” is prohibited, which is the next threshold for investigations.
“I do not imagine 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 regulation.”
Baldwin additionally raised issues about McMahon’s assist for sexual assault victims, because the nominee is a defendant in a lawsuit filed by former World Wrestling Leisure workers alleging sexual harassment and abuse.
“If confirmed, you can be accountable with overseeing the Division of Training Workplace of Civil Rights, charged with guaranteeing equal entry to training by way of 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 assist them.”
McMahon replied, “They definitely can belief me to assist them.”
All through the listening to, McMahon mentioned the Training 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 Training Division would shield the rights of fogeys “to direct the ethical training of their youngsters.”
Hassan mentioned the listening to felt like “elegant gaslighting” due to McMahon’s ambitions for the Training Division, which is being threatened with closure by President Trump.
“The entire listening to proper now feels sort of surreal to me,” Hassan mentioned.