"The Department of Education is a big con job." That's just one of the things President Trump has said about one of the most high profile departments in federal government — a department Trump says he wants to eliminate.Trump says he wants to save money, and kill policies he doesn't like. Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE has already started cutting funding from the department. The Trump administration wants the Department of Education gone. But can they get rid of it, and what could be lost in the process? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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President Trump has given Linda McMahon, his pick to lead the Education Department, an unusual mandate.
I said to Linda, I said, Linda, I'm making you the Secretary of Education, but if you do a great job, you will put yourself out of a job. Because you're going to be sending it back to the states, and she's fantastic.
McMahon is the former CEO of WWE, then served as administrator of the Small Business Administration during President Trump's first term. During her confirmation hearing, she decried what she called a public education in decline.
If confirmed as secretary, I will work with Congress to reorient the department toward helping educators, not controlling them.
In fact, the Education Department does not specifically determine what gets taught in the classroom. What it does do is oversee programs that send billions of dollars to schools that serve low-income families and help educate kids with disabilities. This money has been one of the top concerns for lawmakers and educators as Trump talks about closing the department.
McMahon tried to address this during her hearing in an exchange with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy.
I believe, as he does, that the best education is closest to the child and not certainly from Washington, D.C.
If the department is downsized, would the states and localities still receive the federal funding which they currently receive?
Yes. It is not the president's goal to defund the programs. It is only to have it operate more efficiently.
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