Linda McMahon, a prominent Republican donor and former pro-wrestling executive, was confirmed on Monday to serve as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of the Department of Education.
Trump has made it a key goal of his administration to reduce or eliminate the Department of Education and has expressed hope that McMahon will “put herself out of a job” by leading efforts to scale down or abolish the department.
The Senate voted 51-45 to confirm McMahon, marking the president’s 22nd nominee confirmed since his inauguration.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised McMahon ahead of the vote, stating, “I look forward to working with Linda McMahon to limit bureaucracy, empower state and local governments, and allow good teachers to focus on what they do best — helping students succeed.”
McMahon, who is the board chair of the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank she co-founded in 2021, previously served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term. She was appointed in 2017 and resigned in 2019 to lead America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC.
While McMahon could be tasked with overseeing the potential downsizing or elimination of the department, completely shutting it down would be difficult as it would require an act of Congress. The department plays a critical role in delivering federal funding to public K-12 schools across the country and managing the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio.
The Department of Education has been a target for the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk. However, previous attempts to eliminate or reduce the department have failed to gain significant support in Congress.
The department recently offered buyouts of up to $25,000 to some employees, giving them until Monday night to accept the offer. This move was part of a significant reduction in the department’s workforce. Eligible employees must have been employed by the government for at least three years.
It remains unclear what specific target the Education Department has for the workforce reduction. While the department confirmed the authenticity of the email offering the buyouts, they did not provide further details.