During her interview last week to become President Trump’s pick for education secretary, former professional wrestling executive Linda McMahon delighted Republicans with pledges to slash federal bureaucracy and return “back-to-the-basics” instruction to classrooms, while frustrating Democrats who couldn’t nail down straight answers from her on the fate of African American history courses, special education funding, or civil rights enforcement.
In a 2.5-hour-long Senate hearing peppered by outbursts from anti-Trump protesters, McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, spoke of an education system in decay, from kindergarten through college.
“What we are doing today is not working, and we need to change it,” McMahon said.
Here’s what to know:
Closing the US Education Department
Throughout the hearing, McMahon expressed a commitment to “return education to the states.”
Trump, who said he wants McMahon to put herself out of a job, is expected to sign an executive order to dismantle the US Education Department once she is confirmed. Pressed on whether a full abolishment of the department would require congressional action, McMahon agreed.
“We’d like to do this right,” she said.
Questioned by Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, about the involvement of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency with the Education Department’s affairs, McMahon said there were DOGE “implants” currently at the agency.
She said the department’s largest grant programs, including Title I and the Individuals with Disability Education Act, would not be on the chopping block — though she said she was committed to changing the way money flows to students, which could mean through a form of school choice.
“It is not the president’s goal to defund the programs, it is only to have it operate more efficiently,” McMahon said.
Universal school choice
McMahon said during the hearing that Trump is committed to “universal school choice,” meaning all students would have access to using public funds to attend private or faith-based schools, regardless of their parents' income.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaskan Republican, was skeptical.
“I go to a vast majority of my communities across my state, and there is no choice. It is a small village; it may have 500 people, it may have 1,000 people, and you have one school,” Murkowski said. “And so, I want to ask you, whether you believe it is your primary role and responsibility as secretary to support and strengthen our nation’s public schools.”
McMahon did not provide a clear answer, though she said in a rural example like the one Murkowski described, public funds could be used to support tutoring for a student who does not have a choice of another school.
Sexual assault on campus
Schools should be required to investigate accusations of sexual assault from students even if the alleged incidents occur off campus, McMahon said, adding that “both sides” should be afforded due process.
Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, noted McMahon is a defendant in an ongoing lawsuit in which she and her husband are accused of enabling child sexual abuse at World Wrestling Entertainment.
“I am so concerned about whether sexual assault survivors on campus can trust you to support them,” Baldwin said.
McMahon, noting she has a granddaughter and two grandsons currently in college, said, “You have my absolute commitment that I will uphold and protect those investigations to make sure those students are treated fairly on both sides.”
Student diversity clubs
Questioning McMahon about the fallout of Trump’s executive order on diversity, equity, and inclusion, Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, referenced the recent disbanding of the Society of Black Engineers at West Point in order not to lose federal funding. Murphy questioned whether the same funding risk applied to K-12 schools.
“You’re saying that it’s a possibility that if a school has a club for Vietnamese American students or Black students, where they meet after school, that they could potentially be in jeopardy of receiving federal funding?” Murphy said.
“Again, I would like to fully understand what that order is and what those clubs are doing,” McMahon said.
“That’s pretty chilling,” Murphy said. “I think schools all around the country are going to hear that.”
Special education
Questioned what would happen to the funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act should the Education Department be shut down, McMahon said she believed the role of administering the more than $15 billion in annual funds might be best suited to the Department for Health and Human Services.
“I just want to be clear, you’re going to put special education funding into the hands of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” said Senator Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat whose son was born with cerebral palsy.
McMahon said she wasn’t sure and needed to look into options.
History courses
McMahon said she believes students should be taught “our true history — the good, the bad, and the ugly” in order to learn from past mistakes, before adding that it is not the federal government’s place to set curriculum.
Earlier in the hearing, though, when pressed by Murphy, McMahon would not definitively say whether African American history courses would violate Trump’s DEI executive order.
“I would like to take a look at these programs and fully understand the breadth of the executive order and get back to you on that,” McMahon said.
Transgender students
Asked by Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, about universities that choose not to comply with Trump’s executive order forbidding transgender female athletes from participating in women’s sports or accessing women’s locker rooms, McMahon said the administration would uphold Title IX by withholding federal funding if necessary.
“Women should feel safe in their locker rooms. They should feel safe in their spaces. They shouldn’t have to be exposed to men undressing in front of them,” McMahon said. “We want to make sure that Title IX, which is the law, is enforced.”
Antisemitism on campus
Hawley also pressed McMahon about universities taking federal funds while allowing antisemitism on college campuses. McMahon agreed to withhold funds.
McMahon also said university presidents should take strong actions in defense of student safety, including calling in police assistance.
“What we saw happening on our campuses was absolutely deplorable,” she said earlier in the hearing. “Kids locked in libraries, afraid to come out. ... We cannot allow violence happening on our campuses.”
Hassan, of New Hampshire, was befuddled.
“The whole hearing right now feels kind of surreal to me,” she said. “It’s almost like we’re being subjected to a very elegant gaslighting here. Because Senator Hawley just asked, and you just talked about the need to enforce protections for Jewish students on college campuses, but the very department where the enforcement would take place is the Department of Education and he says he wants to eliminate it, and you say you will work with him to do that.”
Mandy McLaren can be reached at mandy.mclaren@globe.com. Follow her @mandy_mclaren.