Three Key Takeaways:
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon shocked Democrats by showing up unannounced at their press conference to criticize Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education, turning it into a bipartisan discussion about the future of education.
- McMahon emphasized that education decisions should be made at the local level and reassured the public that federal funding would continue while the department undergoes transformation, despite the contentious move to scale it down.
- While some Democrats, like Congressman Mark Takano, pushed back against the plan, McMahon’s appearance highlighted her commitment to fulfilling Trump’s promise and working across party lines.
Linda McMahon has been tasked with dismantling the Department of Education.
Democrats are outraged over this decision.
And Linda McMahon blindsided Democrat Congressmen with this surprising move that left them speechless.
Trump’s Education Secretary shows up unannounced
President Donald Trump made a campaign promise to dismantle the Department of Education and return control of schools to the states.
Trump issued an executive order on March 20 to begin significantly scaling down the department while maintaining some of its core functions as he moves to fulfill this promise.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon shocked Democrats when she unexpectedly showed up at their press conference outside the Education Department building on Wednesday.
Before crashing their media event, McMahon had met with California Congressman Mark Takano and at least 10 other Democrat members to discuss concerns over recent layoffs at the department.
Last month, the Department of Education announced it was initiating its reduction in force mission, which will impact nearly 50% of its workforce as the first step toward dismantling the federal bureaucracy.
Democrats had organized the press conference to attack Trump’s plan to shut down the department, but McMahon stole their thunder by showing up and delivering remarks in the spirit of nonpartisanship.
“I just want to express my gratitude to all of these folks who came today so that we get to have an open discussion about what I believe is one of the most important things that we can have a discussion on on our action in our country, and that is the education of our young people,” McMahon said.
McMahon turns Democrat event into bipartisan moment
McMahon hijacked the Democrats’ press conference by focusing on the common ground between the parties rather than the political differences.
“As Representative Takano said as we were ending the meeting, which I thought was incredibly appropriate, and that is that this is not a partisan issue. This is about the children of America, and it’s the next generation to generation after that,” she added.
McMahon reinforced the Trump administration’s position that education decisions should be made at the local level, not by federal bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
“And I believe, and I know the President does believe this as well, the best education is that that is closest to the child, where teachers and parents, local superintendents – working together and local school boards to develop the curriculum for those students – is the best way that it can happen,” she said.
She reassured the public that federal education funding would continue through established programs while the department undergoes its transformation.
McMahon concluded by thanking the Democrats for the constructive dialogue and expressing her commitment to working with Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.
Democrats demand answers about department’s future
After McMahon finished her remarks and attempted to turn the event back over to the Democrats, Congressman Takano tried to put her on the spot with a pointed question.
“When are you going to shut down this building?” he asked her in front of news cameras.
The Education Secretary smoothly deflected the question, saying, “Well, we’ve had our discussions already, so thank you all,” before leaving the podium and walking back into the building.
After McMahon’s departure, Takano told reporters that during their private meeting, she had expressed “ambiguity” regarding when she would carry out Trump’s campaign promise of shuttering the Department of Education.
The Congressman noted that McMahon had vowed to consult appropriate statute and had promised during her Senate confirmation hearing that she would consult with Congress before it would be “lights out” for the department.
“I have to say that the Secretary indicated more than once, that before she moved any functions of the department to other departments and the other place that, she was looking carefully at what the statute allows her to do,” Takano admitted.
Takano tried to claim Trump’s promise to shut down the Department of Education was just empty talk.
“I think part of the story of today is, you know, [the] President’s campaign promise to shut this department down, is a lot of fluff. It’s. You can’t, it’s illegal. He can’t do it by law,” Takano told reporters.
But Takano conveniently left out that the Department of Education has only existed since 1979 when President Jimmy Carter created it.
And Republicans in Congress have already started drafting legislation to officially abolish the department and return control of education to the states where it belongs.
While Trump’s executive order has begun the process of significantly scaling down the department, it remains unclear whether it will continue to manage its $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio. The order’s language suggested bank functions could be moved to a more suitable entity, with privatization possibly remaining on the table for the administration.
McMahon’s surprise appearance at the Democrats’ press conference demonstrated her willingness to engage with opposition lawmakers while firmly advancing the Trump administration’s education agenda.
