President Donald Trump’s nomination for the head of the Department of Education, Linda McMahon, is set to undergo a crucial Senate confirmation hearing this week. The hearing, anticipated to be intense, will likely see Democratic lawmakers probing McMahon on the president’s proposal to completely shut down the department. Despite Trump’s reiterated call to abolish the department, which has a substantial workforce of around 4,200 employees and operated with a budget of $251 billion in the last fiscal year, the ultimate decision to close it down would need Congress approval. Many Republicans in Congress have long advocated for giving more authority over educational matters to local governments.
In addition to advocating for the closure of the Department of Education, Trump and his Republican allies have also been pushing for federal oversight of school sports programs and addressing issues concerning transgender athletes participating in gender-specific teams. Democrats in the Senate committee overseeing health, education, labor, and pensions are expected to question McMahon on the Trump administration’s efforts to reverse initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. They will also inquire about her stance on school choice programs, federal funding for schools in high-poverty areas, and support for the national school lunch program.
Although the Democrats have the opportunity to interrogate McMahon during the confirmation process, they lack the numbers to prevent her confirmation, as the Republicans hold a majority in the Senate. Historically, Senate Republicans have not obstructed Trump’s Cabinet nominations, even those that have sparked controversy, such as the recent appointments of Tulsi Gabbard as the new Director of National Intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary.
During McMahon’s confirmation hearing, Republican senators may question her views on powerful teacher unions, her stance on religion and prayer in schools, and her position on federal student aid policies, particularly those implemented by the Biden administration and rescinded by Trump in the previous month.
