On May 21, 2025, the US Education Minister Linda McMahon testifies to a hearing from the subcommittee for labor, health and human services, education and related authorities (Screenshot from the Livestream Committee)
Washington – The US education secretary Linda McMahon has thrown warmth from the US House Democrats on Wednesday since President Donald Trump took office due to the drastic cuts and proposed changes in her federal authority.
Democrats in a body within the US house committee for funds have so far been dissatisfied with McMahon’s education initiatives and Trump’s 2026 financial year Budget request Published at the beginning of this month. The request calls for Expenses of $ 12 billion in the department.
McMahon appeared before the subcommittee for labor, health and human services, education and related authorities in order to describe the budget request as part of the work of the committee for writing the legislation for the financing of the department for the coming financial year.
McMahon informed the committee that the department aims to “reduce the German bureaucracy, save taxpayers and enable states – to know their local needs best – to manage education in this country”.
“We have reduced a department that has been overrated by thousands of positions, old contracts that have enriched private parties at the expense of the taxpayer, were exposed to grants for illegal (diversity, equity and inclusion), and now submitting a budget application that reduces the financing of the department by more than 15%,” she said.
Trump and his administration tried to dramatically redesign the federal role in education, including one Executive order Call up McMahon to make it easier to close your own department more than 1,300 employees at the agency, threats Revoke funds For schools that operate the practices and a procedure On “Wok” university formation.
“Pleasure for public education”
Rep. Rosa Delauro, a rank member of the full body and the subcommittee, described McMahon’s actions in the “Lawless” department.
“After their leadership of the department, hundreds of millions of dollars were frozen and entire programs ended,” said Connecticut’s democrat. “Financing for important research, protection of the civil rights and programs of the students who support the attitude and professional development of effective educators have been terminated.”
DELAURO also lamed the proposal of the budget to consolidate 18 subsidies for K-12 and to replace them with a formula subsidy of $ 2 billion, which would give the states flexibility.
A white house document In the summary of the most essential changes in the budget request, it states that consolidation would reduce expenses by more than 4.5 billion US dollars, emphasized a point Delauro.
“At the same time, they suggest that we offer 4.5 billion US dollars less to raise our nation’s children as a whole,” she said. “A block grant is a cut – all my colleagues here know that the states cannot afford to take the gap.”
In a further exchange in the lengthy hearing, McMahon urged the claim of New Jersey Democratic MP Bonnie Watson Coleman that the office of the Department of Civil Rights was “decimated”. The unit saw Significant staff sections as part of the reduction in the effort by the department together with the closure of several regional offices.
“Well, it is not decimated,” said McMahon. “We have reduced the size of the IT, but we absorb a deficit of cases that are left of the biden administration, and we work through them.”
Watson Coleman pressed McMahon as to why the department would reduce its resources if the agency has a deficit and confronted with cases with which they are now available.
“Because we work more efficiently in the department,” McMahon replied.
Prioritization of the school
In the meantime, the Republicans largely focused on School selection initiatives And how McMahon and the department prioritize these efforts.
The term “school selection” applies to alternative programs for the assigned public school of a student. Proponents say that programs for school selection for parents who are dissatisfied with their local public schools are necessary, even though critics argue that these efforts deprive critical means from school districts.
Rep. Robert Aderholt, chairman of the subcommittee, said: “Too many schools encouraged and relieved by federal financing have admitted that the support of social justice and split topics have the focus on teaching students and the nuclear subjects.”
“Fortunately, some countries have had options for students whose traditional public schools did not serve them well through charter schools,” said Alabama’s Republican.
McMahon said the increasing school choice was one of her priorities as a secretary and emphasized the proposed boost in the budget by $ 60 million in order to expand the number of charter schools in the country, as the budget proposal can be seen.
“The President absolutely believes how I do, the more choice the parents have, the better the student goes and we have repeatedly seen it in different states,” she said.
