Trump's Education Dept. pick says agency 'clearly could not be shut down' without Congress

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Education acknowledged Thursday that her would-be boss can't close the agency without going through Congress.

Linda McMahon, a billionaire GOP donor and former wrestling industry executive, faced lawmakers on Capitol Hill for a contentious confirmation hearing that was repeatedly disrupted by protesters.

Though McMahon is likely to be confirmed in the Republican-controlled Senate, she hasn’t spoken much publicly since her nomination to head the department, which the president has vowed to shutter.

Her testimony provided fresh insight into her views on presidential power and the Education Department's role in overseeing K-12 schools and colleges, and her take on the ongoing turmoil at the agency she is expected to manage.

McMahon said she supports overhauling the department, but stressed that the Trump administration doesn’t intend to take money away from students.

Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, encouraged his colleagues to approve her nomination and criticized government overreach in schools, saying, “10% of the resources come from the federal government, and yet 80 to 90% of the rules that suppress performance come from Washington."

McMahon also underlined her backing for alternatives to college and the school choice movement and confirmed that “implants” from Elon Musk’s government efficiency task force are auditing the agency.

Here are some takeaways and key moments from Thursday's hearing:

'A very elegant gaslighting'

As the White House prepares to issue an executive action to dismantle the Education Department, McMahon said she “understands” the need to work with Congress to downsize the agency.

Presidents don’t have the unilateral authority to abolish agencies created by the legislative branch. But a plan is being crafted, she said, to create a “better-functioning Department of Education.”

"We’d like to do this right," she said, adding later that the agency "clearly could not be shut down without" Congress.

When asked by Sen. Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, whether she would violate federal law if President Trump asked her to, McMahon said the president wouldn’t implore her to break the law.

“The last month has told us that it is quite likely he may,” Hassan said. “The whole hearing right now feels very surreal to me. It’s almost like we’re being subjected to a very elegant gaslighting.”

McMahon: School funding, Pell Grants not in jeopardy

McMahon stressed that appropriated congressional funding for schools would not be threatened in the president’s planned overhaul of the Education Department.

Pell Grants, which support low-income college students, won’t be impacted, she said, nor will Title I funding, which helps high-poverty districts.

Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine, wondered how the administration could gut the Education Department without impacting federal programs.

"How do we maintain the administration and oversight of these programs if we abolish or substantially reorganize the Department of Education?" she said.

Congressionally mandated programs will "continue to be appropriated through Congress," McMahon said.

McMahon: We'll honor Public Service Loan Forgiveness program

Former President Joe Biden forgave billions of dollars in student loan debt for millions of Americans. A significant amount of that relief came through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which allows certain types of workers, such as nurses and firefighters, to have their debt canceled after a decade in repayment.

Despite her party's frequent criticisms of student debt relief, McMahon signaled that student loan forgiveness programs that have already been passed by Congress should and would be honored if she were confirmed.

“That’s the law,” she said.

Confirms DOGE ‘implants’ at Ed Department

In recent weeks, members of Elon Musk’s government efficiency task force have been auditing the Education Department’s functions, USA TODAY has reported.

Nearly $1 billion in education research contracts were abruptly canceled Monday by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Amid ongoing litigation, that task force has also been temporarily blocked from accessing vast databases with the sensitive information of millions of students.

Asked about the work of Musk’s team, McMahon confirmed to lawmakers that a "couple of implants" from DOGE are probing the Education Department.

Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, later countered that the acronym for Musk's task force should instead be short for the “Department of Gutting Education.”

Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump pick: Education Dept. 'could not be shut down' without Congress