US Senate Confirms Trump Ally Linda McMahon
US Senate Confirms Trump Ally Linda McMahon: The U.S. Senate has confirmed Linda McMahon as the nation’s next education secretary, placing the former wrestling executive in charge of a department that former President Donald Trump aims to dismantle. McMahon, a 76-year-old billionaire businesswoman and longtime Trump ally, was approved in a 51-45 vote, reflecting sharp partisan divisions over her qualifications and the administration’s broader education agenda. Having previously led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, she now faces the unusual challenge of managing an agency while simultaneously working toward its potential elimination.
McMahon’s appointment comes amid reports that Trump is preparing an executive order instructing her to scale down the department’s operations to the legal minimum while urging Congress to shut it down completely. During her confirmation process, she expressed strong support for this vision, stating in her opening remarks that she “wholeheartedly” backs Trump’s mission to “return education to the states, where it belongs.”
Critics have raised concerns about McMahon’s limited experience in education. Her background includes just a one-year tenure on Connecticut’s state board of education and service as a trustee at Sacred Heart University, but she lacks traditional experience in education policy or administration. However, she currently chairs the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned think tank that houses several of the education department’s senior nominees. This suggests she will have ideological allies within the department, allowing her to push for major reforms with minimal internal resistance.
During her confirmation hearing, McMahon sought to temper some of the administration’s hard-line stances, pledging to maintain key programs such as Title I funding and Pell Grants. However, she acknowledged that only Congress has the power to abolish the department entirely.
Her appointment comes at a critical moment, as schools and colleges across the country scramble to meet a February 28 deadline to eliminate diversity programs or risk losing federal funding. Over the weekend, the education department released guidance reinforcing its firm stance against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Additionally, the department recently launched a DEI reporting portal to track diversity efforts in public schools nationwide.
The Department of Education, established in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, plays a key role in distributing billions of dollars to K-12 schools and managing the federal student loan portfolio, which totals approximately $1.6 trillion. Federal funds make up around 14% of public school budgets nationwide.
Trump’s administration has already begun restructuring the department, canceling numerous contracts through Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (Doge) and dismantling the Institute of Education Sciences, which collects and analyzes data on student performance. As McMahon steps into her new role, she is expected to play a central part in advancing these efforts.