Ahead of Confirmation Hearing, Senators Back McMahon
Jessica Blake
February 12, 2025
Recent executive actions related to education have colleges and Democrats worried, but key Republican lawmakers remain supportive of Trump’s pick to lead the Education Department.
Linda McMahon—a former wrestling mogul and longtime ally of the president—will likely experience a smoother confirmation hearing Thursday than some of Donald Trump’s other cabinet members have so far, interviews with senators show.
But after a tumultuous three weeks, senators on both sides of the aisle say they still have questions for the education secretary nominee, and recent reports that the president is finalizing an executive order to dismantle the department will likely loom large over the hearing.
Since Jan. 20, the Trump administration has cut critical research funding for hundreds of universities, granted data access to controversial DOGE staffers, reverted to a more narrow definition of sexual harassment and put certain employees on administrative leave for connections to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
