Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Department of Education, attended a confirmation hearing held by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Thursday.
This hearing is a step in the confirmation process for McMahon, as her nomination will eventually be voted on by the entire Senate. During the hearing, the 76-year-old fielded questions about the state of education in the U.S. and about the potential dissolution of the education department altogether.
She told Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that such a move would have to be made in cooperation with Congress. McMahon also told the senator that schools would still receive federal funding – and the Pell Grant program would still be in place – even if Trump’s plans to abolish the department prove successful.
According to the Department of Education, its origins date back to 1867, when former President Andrew Johnson signed legislation creating the first Department of Education.
“Its main purpose was to collect information and statistics about the nation’s schools,” the department explained. “However, due to concern that the Department would exercise too much control over local schools, the new Department was demoted to an Office of Education in 1868.”
Then, political and social changes resulted in expanded federal funding for education in the 1950s and the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik in 1957 spurred increased aid for education programs. Further expansion followed in the 1960s with former President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty” and that expansion continued in the 1970s with efforts to help underserved groups, including women, racial minorities and people with disabilities. Congress passed the Department of Education Organization Act in October 1979 and the department began operations in May 1980.
Trump’s second term has so far been marked by efforts to cut government jobs. These include the decision to put all employees in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs on leave and the controversial work of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
McMahon said that changes in the Department of Education would also be intended to cut government waste. She also said that their mission would be to “return education to the states.”
Who is Linda McMahon?
McMahon is from New Bern, North Carolina and she earned a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University in 1966, according to the Iowa State University Archives of Women’s Political Communication. She then worked as a paralegal at a corporate law firm. In 1980, she co-founded Titan Sports, Inc. (now WWE, Inc.) with her husband, Vince McMahon and went on to serve as president and later CEO until 2009.
That year she was appointed to the Connecticut State Board of Education by Governor Jodi Rell. McMahon resigned in 2010 to run as a Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate but lost the general election in both 2010 and 2012. She became a delegate to the Republican National Convention from Connecticut and a member of the RNC Rules Committee in 2016.
Trump selected McMahon to be the administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019, during his first term in office. In that position, she advocated on behalf of the estimated 30 million small businesses in America.
“Her relationship with Trump dates back to his first WWE appearances in the 1980s, which continued through the 2000s,” said Open Secrets. It also said that she has been a “significant financial backer of Republican causes,” and that while her “net worth remains a mystery as she and Vince share an estimated $3 billion fortune.”
McMahon also serves as the chair of the board and chair of the center for the American Worker for America First Policy Institute, a non-profit research organization.
“For the past four years, as the Chair of the Board at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), Linda has been a fierce advocate for Parents’ Rights, working hard at both AFPI and America First Works (AFW) to achieve Universal School Choice in 12 States, giving children the opportunity to receive an excellent Education, regardless of zip code or income,” said Trump in a press release regarding his selection of McMahon. “As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions in their families.”
However, NBC News noted that she would come to the role “with very little education experience,” and would be tasked with overseeing 50 million students in about 98,000 public schools as well as 32,000 private schools around the country.
“I am deeply honored and humbled for this opportunity and I am committed to working tirelessly to ensure every student has access to a quality education,” she said in a November response to the nomination. “I’ve witnessed the transformative power of education, both in the classroom and also in apprenticeship programs. All students should be equipped with the necessary skills to prepare them for a successful future.”
Legal issues
As the confirmation process for McMahon moves forward, she is entangled in a lawsuit that alleges WWE, McMahon, her husband and TKO Group Holdings were “fully aware” of “systemic and pervaisive abuse” of underage boys and “did nothing to prevent or stop it,” per a press release from the DiCello Levitt law firm. These survivors, known as “Ring Boys” were allegedly “groomed, exploited, and sexually abused” by WWE ringside announcer and ring crew chief Melvin Phillips, Jr.
“The WWE and McMahons had a responsibility to these underaged boys, and they failed them in the worst way possible. We will vigorously fight to uncover the truth about this systemic, insidious, and life-altering abuse,” said Mark DiCello, founding partner of DiCello Levitt. “We commend our clients for their bravery in coming forward and promise to relentlessly seek justice for them.”
NBC said that this lawsuit has made people question McMahon’s “commitment to safeguarding children and overseeing Title IX, which protects students against discrimination,” though an attorney for McMahon denies the lawsuit’s claims. McMahon isn’t accused of sexual abuse, the outlet noted.
“Top Senate Democrats who spoke with NBC News appear more focused on policy questions for McMahon than on the controversies surrounding WWE,” it reported. Indeed, questions at the confirmation hearing were mostly focused on policy and issues such as declining reading scores. A letter sent by Democratic lawmakers ahead of the hearing was also focused on policy.
Next steps
Following hearings, the Senate will vote on McMahon’s nomination. So far, even Trump’s more controversial nominees – including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – have been approved.