Linda McMahon, President Trump’s pick for Education secretary, will face senators next Thursday for her confirmation hearing as a fight builds over the future of the Department of Education.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing will take place Feb. 13 starting at 10 a.m. EST.
McMahon is likely to face Democratic attacks over her lack of experience in education directly and a lawsuit from her time leading World Wrestling Entertainment that alleges she knew about sexual abuse ringside boys were facing from an announcer and did little to stop it.
She previously served in Trump’s first administration as the head of the Small Business Administration, and so far this term, she has not been considered one of his more controversial picks.
But she is walking into the lion’s den after news broke that Trump, who has long called for the dismantling of the Education Department, is looking at executive actions to weaken it substantially or gut its major functions and said he wants McMahon to put herself out of a job.
“I told Linda, ‘Linda, I hope you do a great job and put yourself out of a job,’” Trump said, adding he would like to end the department through executive order.
Trump has already signed education executive orders promoting school choice, patriotic education and directing federal agencies to fight against antisemitism.
McMahon would also be leading the department after dozens of staffers have been placed on administrative leave due to Trump’s order against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the federal government. Some of those staffers say their roles are in no way related to DEI and the punishment is about a training session they were encouraged to take under Trump’s first term.
