Linda McMahon defends dismantling the Education Department, shifting its work

"“The American people elected President Trump with a clear mandate: to sunset a 46-year-old, $3 trillion failed federal education bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., and return authority to where it belongs, to parents, teachers and local leaders,” McMahon told lawmakers. This after Scott, in his opening remarks, told McMahon, “The Trump administration has not returned education to the states, rather it has empowered you to effectively dismantle one of the country's strongest civil rights institutions.”"

"According to data from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Department of Education has gone from roughly 4,200 employees in 2024 to 2,300 in 2026. In addition to cutting staff by roughly 45%, the administration has offloaded more than 100 programs and department obligations onto other federal agencies, including many elementary and secondary education programs to the D"

"The lawmakers and education secretary tussled over several key education issues that will affect the lives of millions of Americans, including whether new Republican caps on federal student loans will lower the cost of college, what role the government should play in trying to improve abysmal literacy rates among U.S. students and whether the U.S. Department of Education should exist at all."

The U.S. Education Secretary defended a Trump administration budget proposal during a House education committee hearing. The exchange focused on whether the Department of Education should be sunset and authority returned to parents, teachers, and local leaders. Democrats argued the administration had not returned education to states and instead dismantled a civil rights institution. Data cited showed staffing reductions from about 4,200 employees in 2024 to about 2,300 in 2026, along with offloading more than 100 programs and obligations to other federal agencies. Lawmakers also debated whether new Republican caps on federal student loans would lower college costs and what government should do to improve low literacy rates among U.S. students.

Read at www.npr.org