Linda McMahon punches back at senators questioning Education Department cuts
Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images
In a fiery hearing Tuesday, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended her work dismantling the very department she leads, with Senate Democrats saying the results have made life harder for parents and students. McMahon's first appearance on Capitol Hill in nearly a year was intended to unpack the White House proposal on education spending for the 2027 fiscal year — and gave senators a chance to take stock of McMahon's actions.
Some Republicans, including Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, cheered McMahon's changes, like her push for expanding school choice, while many shared the concerns of their Democratic counterparts about proposed cuts to TRIO, a group of federal programs that help disadvantaged students get into and through college.
In one testy exchange, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington asked why parents must now contact more than one federal agency for services that were once solely provided by the Education Department.
McMahon retorted that she disagreed with Murray's characterization and said that regardless of which agencies federal education programs are housed in, parents will "still get the same treatment, the same funding."
Here are some of the key issues raised at the hearing:
On federal spending for special education
The Trump administration's budget proposal includes $16 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that guarantees students with disabilities a "free appropriate public education." That's one area where the department is proposing to boost spending by $539 million over last year.
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