The U.S. Senate approved Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education on the 3rd. U.S. President Trump hopes that she can take the lead in abolishing the Department of Education. Trump continues to slam the U.S. Department of Education as a "scam" and is pushing to shut it down. According to Xinhua News Agency, the U.S. Senate voted 51 in favor and 45 against on the 3rd to approve Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education.
McMahon, 76, formerly served as CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. She served on the Connecticut State Board of Education for about a year, but otherwise has a limited background in education.
According to CNN, Trump nominated Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education in early February. The latter is a loyal supporter of Trump. She served as the director of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 and currently serves as the board chair of the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank.
The Trump administration has made eliminating the Department of Education one of its top priorities and said it hopes McMahon can take the lead in eliminating the department and "put (herself) out of a job." During his campaign, Trump promised to decentralize education policy, reduce the role of the federal government in education, and advocated letting states manage schools. He has long criticized the Education Department, saying it has too much power and fails to deliver enough academic results.
McMahon issued a statement after his appointment, saying the Department of Education will be committed to advancing educational freedom rather than creating a government-run system. States and districts will be given more say, freed from the shackles of education bureaucracy. When asked if she supported Trump's shutdown of the Department of Education, McMahon said she "wholeheartedly" agrees and supports the president's goal to "abolish the bureaucracy in Washington."