Education secretary confirmed, vows more state control

The Senate on Monday voted 51-45 to confirm Linda McMahon as the secretary of the Department of Education. Lawmakers voted along party lines with every Republican backing President Donald Trump’s nominee and no Democrats supporting her.

McMahon in a Monday statement confirmed that Trump had tasked her with sending education back to the states and empowering parents to make education decisions for their children. In the released statement, she said her goal is to serve American students by eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy and regulations to allow schools to innovate.

Who is Linda McMahon? She previously served as administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term in office. She then served as the chair of the America First Policy Institute where she advocated for parents’ rights, and pushed for universal school choice in 12 states. McMahon previously served for two years on the Connecticut Board of Education and for 16 years on the board of trustees at Sacred Heart University.

McMahon and her husband Vince bought the Capitol Wrestling Corporation in 1982, later transforming it into World Wrestling Entertainment. She became the company’s CEO in 1997 and held the position until 2009 when she was appointed to the state school board.

What changes has Trump promised to make in the department? President Trump has for years said he would dismantle the federal Department of Education in favor of prioritizing states’ roles in education. His administration in 2018 proposed merging the education and labor departments, but lawmakers did not implement the idea.

Trump cannot eliminate the DOE through an executive order because Congress must pass legislation to abolish the agency and transfer its functions. Many members of Congress are opposed to the idea, including Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., who is a senior member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce. Abolishing the department could remove funding for schools that serve economically disadvantaged children, he said. Meanwhile, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., reintroduced a bill to break up the DOE. He argued that state and local officials are better equipped to meet the needs of students than federal politicians.

Has the administration already taken any steps to destroy the department? Officials last month offered DOE staff $25,000 if they quit by March 3, according to an email first reported by Politico and later confirmed by other media outlets. The department has not said how many people accepted the offer. Trump last month slashed nearly $900 million in education contracts.

Dig deeper: Read my report about how U.S. test scores continue to drop.