5 Takeaways: Education Secretary Nominee Linda McMahon’s Confirmation Hearing
Credit: Al Drago / Bloomberg / Getty Images- President Donald Trump named Linda McMahon his nominee to lead the Department of Education.
- During her Senate confirmation hearing, she backed expanding Pell Grants to cover short-term certificate programs.
- McMahon also seemed in favor of a broad definition of sexual harassment under Title IX.
- She agreed with Trump’s plan to dissolve the Department of Education.
Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Education, spoke on a myriad of higher education topics during her confirmation hearing.
McMahon appeared in lockstep with Trump on nearly every issue during her Thursday hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She touched on issues that would directly affect college students, including the expansion of Pell Grants, her interpretation of Title IX civil rights regulations, and whether the Department of Education (ED) should exist at all.
She also touched on more niche topics, such as the future of college accreditation and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
Altogether, McMahon painted a picture of a U.S. education system needing drastic reform.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chair of the Senate committee who represents Louisiana, agreed with that assessment.
“The status quo is not working,” Cassidy said.
Advocate for Pell Grant Expansion to Short-Term Programs
McMahon advocated for expanding Pell Grants to cover short-term workforce certificate programs twice during her hearing.
“I certainly would like to see workforce Pell Grants,” she said. “I definitely think that workforce Pell Grants are something that could stimulate our economy, provide opportunity for those who want to participate in skills-based learning … that would get those students into the workplace faster.”
Lawmakers have long tried to pass a measure to expand Pell Grants to cover workforce training programs as short as eight weeks. Current policy limits Pell Grants to only apply to programs that last at least 15 weeks.
Despite broad bipartisan support, the measure has repeatedly failed to pass Congress over the past decade.
McMahon added that she does not want to see the Pell Grant program shrink in any way under her leadership. With the program projected to soon face a $2.7 billion shortfall, it’s unclear whether cuts could be in line for the program that helps over 6 million low- and middle-income students afford college each year.
In Favor of Dissolving ED Through Congress
McMahon backed Trump’s idea to dissolve ED, the department she hopes to soon lead.
Senators repeatedly asked her whether ED’s dissolution could happen through an executive order or would need to be approved by Congress. She maintained that because Congress established the department, only lawmakers could completely dissolve ED.
However, she said the Trump administration could cut some department branches not enshrined in statute without congressional approval. States and school districts would manage education programs independently.
“It is not the president’s goal to defund the programs,” she said, “it is only to have them operate more efficiently.”
McMahon said other departmental programs would move to different departments. For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should oversee the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Sen. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat representing New Hampshire, took issue with this idea.
“So, I just want to be clear: You’re going to put special education in the hands of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” she said.
Kennedy was recently confirmed and sworn in as HHS secretary.
Expanded Definition of Sexual Harassment Under Title IX?
Under Trump’s 2020 Title IX regulations, the definition of sexual harassment for Title IX purposes has to include actions that are “severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive.”
McMahon said during the hearing that Title IX should prohibit all cases of sexual harassment, which contrasted with the Trump administration’s official definition. When Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat representing Wisconsin, asked McMahon if sexual harassment that is severe or pervasive should be included, McMahon seemingly endorsed that definition.
“I think sexual harassment should be prohibited in any case,” McMahon said. “I don’t believe there should be any acceptance of sexual harassment, senator.”
Baldwin explained that McMahon’s answers contradict Trump’s Title IX regulations, which are currently in effect. She called on McMahon to stand by her assertion that Title IX should protect all instances of sexual harassment.
“I hope that you will take your position and press for that to be the law,” Baldwin said, “but right now, Title IX is limited to sexual harassment that is severe and pervasive, not severe or pervasive.”
Title IX is the civil rights law prohibiting schools that receive federal assistance from discriminating against anyone on the basis of sex.
College Accreditation Agencies Under Fire
Sen. Ashley Moody, a Republican representing Florida, took aim at college accreditation agencies during McMahon’s hearing. Specifically, she opposes private entities that “aren’t accountable to voters, aren’t accountable to the president” deciding which colleges and universities are eligible for federal funding.
McMahon said she would “look into” the regulations and guidance documents allowing institutions to change accreditors.
“There have been a lot of issues raised about these 5-7 accreditors that are the ones deciding these fates today,” she said, “and I think that needs to have a broad overview and review.”
Moody said she believes it is a “constitutional problem” for the department to delegate accreditation authority to outside organizations.
Trump said on the campaign trail that he’d like to “fire” existing accreditors.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Seemingly Safe
PSLF promises complete federal student loan forgiveness for people who work in a public service position for at least 10 years.
Over 1 million borrowers have benefited from the program thus far, but calls to repeal PSLF have gotten louder in recent years. Project 2025, a potential roadmap for a Trump presidency, called for ending “time-based and occupation-based” loan forgiveness programs.
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat representing Virginia, asked point-blank whether McMahon would “fully” implement the PSLF program as secretary of education.
“Clearly, there are programs that have already been passed by Congress that do, in fact, grant loan forgiveness for public service,” McMahon said. “We certainly should honor those programs.”
She added that she would continue implementing the program even if the Department of Government Efficiency advised ED to stop implementing PSLF.