Linda McMahon is testifying at a Senate Confirmation Hearing on her nomination to be education secretary.
Democrats have been gearing up to grill McMahon on her willingness to execute Trump’s plan to shut down the Department of Education, which opponents say would undermine public education. Trump hasn’t said whether he would preserve the core work of the agency, which sends billions of dollars a year to schools, manages a $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio and enforces civil rights in education.
McMahon is a longtime Trump ally who became a billionaire as CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. She left the wrestling empire in 2009 to launch a political career, running unsuccessfully twice for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. McMahon has given millions to Trump’s campaigns, and during his first term, he picked her to lead the Small Business Administration.
McMahon has a more limited education track record than most previous secretaries. She spent a year on the Connecticut Board of Education and is a longtime trustee at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. McMahon has called for expanded school choice programs, along with a focus on apprenticeships and alternatives to traditional college degrees.