Education Sec McMahon Faces Questions Over Initiatives In Proposed Budget

At a Wednesday hearing on the policies and priorities of the U.S. Department of Education, Republican committee members asked the education secretary about the benefits of new department priorities reflected in the budget bill now before the Senate, while Democrats pressed McMahon on spending cuts and for acting independently of Congress.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon summarized the department’s goal under the second Trump administration at the end of her opening statement.

“Our goal is clear, make education better, fairer and more accountable by ending federal overreach and empowering families, schools and states who best know the needs of their students,” McMahon said.

McMahon testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday advocating for a 15% reduction in the department’s budget.

In January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order effectively dismantling the department. The department has also begun investigations and threatened to withdraw funding from universities and school districts that haven’t done enough to combat anti-semitism and with gender and diversity, equity and inclusion policies that Trump has sought to eliminate through other executive orders.

Democrats’ questioning of McMahon on Wednesday grew heated at times, as they tried to pin McMahon down on the potential negative consequences of spending cuts.

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-CT, repeatedly asked McMahon why the budget allocated funding to charter schools but not to magnet schools, as she and Republicans have advocated for school choice.