Linda McMahon Confirmed As Thirteenth U.S. Secretary of Education
Overview
Just moments ago the U.S. Senate voted 51-45 in favor of President Donald Trump’s selection of Linda McMahon (R-CT) to serve as the thirteenth Secretary of Education since the U.S. Department of Education was established by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.
Following procedural votes and the beginning of Senate floor consideration of Ms. McMahon last week, the Senate began today’s session with continuation of her nomination proceedings. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) began today’s session expressing support for President Trump’s selection of Ms. McMahon to serve as Secretary of Education and went on to highlight many of President Trump and the Republican’s education priorities – including repeal of diversity programs, elimination of individuals born as men competing in women’s athletics and other transgender policy accommodations, the expansion of school choice, and determinations of whether to dismantle the cabinet level agency all together.
Background
President Trump selected Ms. McMahon to serve as Secretary of Education during his second term having already appointed Ms. McMahon to lead the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) during his first term in office.
As highlighted in her America First Policy Institute biography, “at SBA, McMahon re-imagined the organization, focusing on rural development and championing women entrepreneurs and military veterans. She oversaw natural disaster recovery efforts and helped improve the way the SBA connected small businesses to capital, counseling, and government contracts. After her service in the Trump Administration, she served as Chair of the America First Action SuperPAC, and America First Policy, LLC. Prior to her career in public service, McMahon was the President and later CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.”
What’s Next
CSPEN anticipates that once confirmed, Ms. McMahon will take immediate steps to move ahead with many of the directives included in President Trump’s litany of Executive Orders impacting education policy. CSPEN further anticipates that after Ms. McMahon takes office we may well see additional Executive Orders from President Trump focused directly on the review of the regulatory framework of both elementary and secondary and postsecondary education and assessment of revisions to be considered in the near-term – as well as analysis and recommendations of how the entire Department could be restructured or even apportioned out to other agencies in the future.
CSPEN also predicts that the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will move forward in the weeks ahead with the confirmation hearings for other key senior level positions within the U.S. Department of Education, including Ms. Penny Schwin and Deputy Secretary of Education and Nicholas Kent as Under Secretary of Education.
