Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Education, affirmed during her confirmation hearing on Thursday that shutting down the agency entirely would require congressional approval.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to shut down the department. While conceding that closing the agency would require congressional approval, McMahon, a former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO, made it clear during her testimony she intends to carry out the president’s vision if confirmed by the Senate.
“I would also like to thank President Trump for his confidence in me to lead a department whose mission and authority were a special purpose of his campaign. He pledged to make American education the best in the world, return education to the states where it belongs,” McMahon said. “November proved that Americans overwhelmingly support the president’s vision, and I am ready to enact it.”
McMahon, the former Small Business Administration director and a longtime Trump ally, was interrupted several times by protesters who had to be removed from the hearing room on Thursday morning.
The president is expected to sign an executive order that would take steps to eliminate the functions of the Education Department. The order would likely come in two parts: First, it would direct the secretary of education to create a plan to downsize the department through executive action, and second, Trump would push Congress to pass the legislation necessary to eliminate the department.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle repeatedly pressed McMahon to affirm that eliminating the Department of Education would require an act of Congress.
“President Trump has reportedly drafted an executive order requiring the secretary of education to develop a plan for downsizing the Department of Education and working with Congress to eliminate it entirely. Yes or no, do you agree that since the department was created by Congress, it would need an act of Congress to actually close the Department of Education,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the chairman of the panel, asked McMahon.
McMahon told Cassidy and other lawmakers on the panel that she is aware that eliminating the Department of Education would require congressional action.
“Certainly President Trump understands that we’ll be working with Congress. 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, that would have a better functioning Department of Education but certainly does require congressional action,” she said.
Cassidy also pressed McMahon on whether states and localities would still be able to count on federal funding from the Department of Education if the agency is downsized.
“It is not the president’s goal to defund the programs. It’s only to have them operate more efficiently,” McMahon responded.
On Monday, the Department of Government Efficiency moved to eliminate nearly $1 billion in research contracts, which have provided data sources on American schooling. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) expressed concerns about the cuts, referencing a former teacher she spoke to who developed a high-impact tutoring model that could now be on the chopping block as it has a grant application pending.
“Shouldn’t the Department of Education continue to collect data and evaluate outcomes rather than halt these activities so you can help states know what works,” Collins asked McMahon.
“It is my goal, if I am confirmed, to get in and assess these kinds of programs because I’m not sure yet what the impact of what all of these programs are. I know that there are many worthwhile programs that we should keep, but I am not yet apprised of them,” McMahon responded.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) pushed McMahon to answer whether she would halt funding that has already been appropriated by Congress if asked to by Trump and DOGE.
“What would you do if the president or Elon Musk tells you not to spend money Congress has appropriated to you,” Murray asked.
“We will certainly expend those dollars that Congress has passed, but I do think it is worthwhile to take a look at the programs before money goes out the door. It’s much easier to stop money going out the door than it is to claw it back,” McMahon responded.
Murray also expressed concerns that DOGE employees at the Department of Education could abuse sensitive student data they had accessed before a court order temporarily paused their efforts.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
McMahon responded that DOGE employees have been onboarded as employees of the Department of Education and are operating under “restraints of utilizing access of information.”
“Again, I’m not there yet, but it is my understanding that they are onboarded full employees,” she responded.
This is a developing story.