US education secretary Linda McMahon testifies at the hearing of the American subcommittee House Conditions for Labor, Health and Social Welfare, Education and related agencies on May 21, 2025.
Washington – US education secretary Linda McMahon took warmth from the US Democrats on Wednesday because of drastic cuts and proposed changes in its Federal Agency in months since the office took office by President Donald Trump.
Democrats in the panel in the American Committee on funds expressed dissatisfaction with McMahon’s educational initiatives, as well as the Trump 2026 tax year A request for the budget Released at the beginning of this month. The request requires $ 12 billion for expenditure cutting in the section.
McMahon appeared before the subcommittee on work, health and services, education and related agencies to outline the application for a budget as part of the panel’s work to write an invoice to finance the department of the coming financial year.
McMahon told the panel that the department aims to “reduce federal bureaucracy, save taxpayers’ money and state strengthening states – which know their local needs best – to manage education in this country.”
“We have reduced the department, which was exceeded by thousands of positions, we limited the old contracts, which enriched the private parties to taxpayers, suspended subsidies to illegal programs (diversity, equity and inclusion), and now presented a budget application, which reduces the financing of the department by over 15%,” she said.
Trump and his administration tried to dramatically transform a federal role in education, including executive order Calling McMahon to facilitate the closure of your own department, looking Over 1,300 employees at the threat agency Record funds for schools that exploit dei practices and repression on the subject of higher education “Woke”.
“Contempt of public education”
Rep. Rosa Delauro, a member of the full panel ranking and subcommittee, called McMahon’s actions in the “Lawless” Department, adding that “let the contempt of public education” and “hurts the most exposed in our nation.”
“Under the leadership of the Department, hundreds of millions of dollars were frozen and the entire programs were dissolved,” said Connecticut Democrat. “The financing of important research, the protection of civil rights of students and programs supporting the recruitment and professional development of effective teachers has been resolved.”
Delauro also raised a budget proposal for consolidation of 18 subsidies for education for K-12 education and replacing their subsidies in formulas worth $ 2 billion, which would ensure the elasticity of expenses to countries.
White House document Summary of major changes in the budget application stated that consolidation would reduce expenses by over $ 4.5 billion, emphasized the Delauro point.
“However, at the same time you suggest to provide $ 4.5 billion less for the education of the children of our nation,” she said. “A block subsidy is a cut – all my colleagues here know that countries cannot afford to raise the slack.”
During a different exchange at a long hearing, McMahon pushed against the democratic representative of New Jersey Bonnie Watson Coleman that the Department’s Civil Rights Bureau “is decimated”. The unit saw Significant staff cuts As part of the reduction of the department’s strength with the closure of several regional offices.
“Well, it’s not decimated,” said McMahon. “We have reduced the size, but we take arrears in matters that remained from Biden administration and work on them.”
Watson Coleman began to press McMahon, why the department would reduce its resources if the agency has arrears in addition to confrontation of matters that arise before him.
“Because we work more efficiently in the section,” McMahon answered.
Prioritization of school choice
Meanwhile, Republicans focused mainly on initiatives in the field of choosing a school And like McMahon and Department, they prioritize these efforts.
The term “school selection” applies to alternative programs to a public school designated by a student. Supporters say that school selection programs are necessary for parents dissatisfied with local public schools, although critics say these efforts exhaust critical funds from school districts.
Rep. Robert Aderholt, chairman of the subcommittee, said: “Too many schools, encouraged and facilitated by federal financing, allowed that such things such as supporting social justice and problems with divide the divide on teaching students and basic topics.”
“Fortunately, some states carried out selection options for students whose traditional public schools did not serve them well, including via charter schools,” said Republican Alabama.
McMahon said that increasing the choice of school was one of her priorities as a secretary and emphasized the proposed budget by $ 60 million to escalate the number of charter schools in the country, in accordance with the budget application.
“The president absolutely believes, just like me, the more choice the parents have, the better students are and we saw it many times in different states,” she said.
