Trump’s pick for secretary of education is Linda McMahon. Here’s what to know
We’re following the confirmation hearings for the incoming Trump administration. See our full politics coverage, and follow NPR’s Trump’s Terms podcast or sign up for our Politics newsletter to stay up to date.
Who: Linda McMahon
Nominated for: secretary of education
You might know her from: Linda McMahon is most well-known for leading World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and helping to build it into a multi-billion-dollar business. She also led the U.S. Small Business Administration for about two years under President Donald Trump’s first term.
More about McMahon:
- McMahon’s background in education is limited. She served for about one year on Connecticut’s State Board of Education.
- Up until recently, not much was known about McMahon’s policy positions on education. In January she shared more about where she stands, including that she supports expanding school choice and career and technical education opportunities for students.
- She held leadership positions at WWE for nearly three decades, including CEO.
- If confirmed, McMahon would oversee an agency the president has already moved to diminish.
Watch Thursday’s confirmation hearing for Linda McMahon before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee at 10 a.m. ET:
What the education secretary does: The education secretary leads one of the smallest federal agencies, the Department of Education. The agency safeguards the civil rights of students with disabilities, manages the federal student loan portfolio and sends billions of dollars to schools that serve low-income students, among its many responsibilities. Read more on what the department does here.
What to expect at McMahon’s confirmation hearing:
In recent days, the Trump administration has made sweeping cuts to an independent research arm of the Education Department and put dozens of staffers on paid administrative leave. The White House has also confirmed the president’s plans to shutter department programs that are not protected by law and his plans to call on Congress to close the department entirely.
If a recent House education committee hearing is any indication, McMahon’s confirmation proceedings are likely to focus on how she would handle Trump’s plans to dissolve the department, what she would do to address poor K-12 student achievement and how she would work to enhance school choice.
For more coverage of the new administration follow NPR’s Trump’s Terms podcast
Fired Copyright Office head sues Trump administration over removal
Shira Perlmutter's termination came shortly after the Copyright Office published a long-anticipated report on artificial intelligence.
Judge blocks Trump admin’s move to bar Harvard from enrolling international students
This comes in response to a lawsuit Harvard filed on Friday morning, challenging the Trump administration's abrupt move to revoke the school's ability to enroll foreign students.
The White House rejects a watchdog finding that it’s breaking the law over halted funds
The White House budget office rejected the conclusion of a nonpartisan congressional watchdog that said the Trump administration is breaking the law by not spending funds as directed by Congress.
What should happen to George Floyd Square? The community is divided
Five years after George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, the future of the intersection where it happened is uncertain. Today, a memorial is set up in the partially blocked street. But some want to move on. How does a community reckon with its past and confront its future?
Mission: Impossible’s overblown ‘Final Reckoning’ still thrills
The two hour, 49 minute conclusion to the seven-sequel franchise is self-congratulatory and inanely plotted. But, as always, it's fun to watch Tom Cruise, now 62, execute eye-popping stunts.
Ukraine and Russia begin the largest prisoner-of-war exchange since the invasion
Ukraine and Russia have begun the exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war, the largest such swap since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
