U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon Defends Plan to Dismantle Department of Education
"The American people elected President Trump with a clear mandate: to sunset a 46-year-old, $3 trillion failed federal education bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., and return authority to where it belongs, to parents, teachers and local leaders."
— Secretary Linda McMahon
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon appeared before House and Senate committees on Thursday to defend the Trump administration's plans to dismantle the Department of Education. The hearings focused on proposed budget cuts, staff reductions, and the transfer of federal programs to other agencies. Meanwhile, McMahon granted Iowa a first-of-its-kind waiver allowing for increased flexibility in the use of federal education funds.
Department Restructuring and Staffing
The Department of Education reduced its workforce from approximately 4,200 employees in 2024 to 2,300 in 2026 — a 45% reduction. More than 100 programs were transferred to other agencies, including the Department of Labor and Health and Human Services (HHS).
In March 2025, the administration fired more than half of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) lawyers and staff, closing 7 of 12 regional offices. McMahon stated she disagreed with the original layoffs and is in the process of rehiring attorneys. The department has begun hiring 334 new staff for the Office of Federal Student Aid, which was cut by half. By August, remaining staff will relocate to a smaller office.
Proposed Budget and Spending
The White House's 2027 fiscal year education spending proposal was a central topic of the hearings.
Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
The budget proposes a 35% funding cut for OCR. McMahon said she disagrees with the proposed cut.
IDEA (Special Education)
The budget proposes $16 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a $539 million increase. McMahon has not decided whether to transfer oversight of IDEA to another agency, stating she is in ongoing discussions with disability groups.
Student Loans
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act caps graduate student borrowing at $20,500 annually with a $100,000 total limit. Professional programs (medicine, law, dentistry) allow up to $50,000 annually and a $200,000 total limit. McMahon argued the caps will incentivize colleges to lower prices.
MEGA Grants
The proposed MEGA grants would consolidate 17 programs into a $2 billion block grant, a reduction from $6.5 billion.
TRIO Programs
The proposal includes cuts to TRIO programs, which serve over 800,000 low-income students annually. McMahon argued that TRIO is a failure based on its own metrics and suggested reforming it to focus on workforce training.
Title I and Pell Grants
Title I funding for low-income schools would remain level. The budget proposes a $10 billion increase for Pell Grants.
Civil Rights and Student Loan Backlogs
Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
After Trump's 2025 inauguration, OCR resolved only two racial harassment cases, compared to over 30 in 2017. No sexual harassment or assault cases were resolved in 2025, versus nearly 60 and 15 respectively in 2017.
Student Loans
In March, the department announced the transition of the federal student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department. McMahon acknowledged delays in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) buyback program, with some borrowers waiting 9–12 months for responses. A new repayment plan is set to roll out in July following the invalidation of a previous Biden administration plan.
Federal Funding Waiver for Iowa
"States should lead — Washington should support their sound approaches and get out of the way."
— Secretary McMahon on the Iowa waiver
McMahon granted Iowa a first-of-its-kind waiver, allowing the state to use over $9 million in unrestricted federal education dollars with increased flexibility. The waiver is projected to reduce "compliance costs," with funds redirected to classroom initiatives. Under the terms, certain federal requirements are dropped.
Iowa submitted a Unified Allocation Plan demonstrating how funds would be used to enhance academic outcomes, including educator development and English language acquisition programs.
"The more red tape that we cut from the federal level, the more Iowa can increase education quality."
— Governor Kim Reynolds (R-IA)
The Education Department confirmed it is collaborating with approximately six additional states on similar waiver requests. Title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 authorizes states and tribes to submit requests for waivers to "reduce administrative burden." Additionally, the department approved Iowa's application for "Ed-Flex authority," permitting Iowa to grant waivers from certain federal requirements to individual school districts without separate federal approval.
Official Statements
Secretary McMahon
"The American people elected President Trump with a clear mandate: to sunset a 46-year-old, $3 trillion failed federal education bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., and return authority to where it belongs, to parents, teachers and local leaders."
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA)
"The Trump administration has not returned education to the states, rather it has empowered you to effectively dismantle one of the country's strongest civil rights institutions."
Scott urged the Department to "refrain" from granting similar waivers to other states.
Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL)
"I hope you're the last secretary of education."
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) on IDEA
Asked for a yes/no on transferring services, McMahon replied: "It's not a yes or no answer. We will be looking to transfer and, first, co-administering these programs with other agencies."