Linda McMahon defends dismantling the Education Department, shifting its work

Education Secretary Linda McMahon fields questions Thursday from members of Congress about the dismantling of her agency, student loans and other issues. Eric Lee/Bloomberg via hide caption toggle caption Eric Lee/Bloomberg via U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon sparred with Democrats on the House education committee Thursday on a visit to Capitol Hill to defend the Trump administration's new budget proposal. The lawmakers and education secretary tussled over several key education issues that will affect the lives of millions of Americans, including whether new Republican caps on federal student loans will lower the cost of college, what role the government should play in trying to improve abysmal literacy rates among U.S. students — and whether the U.S. Department of Education should exist at all. Here are some of the moments that stood out from the hearing. The end of the Education Department? Starting with their opening statements, McMahon and the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, made clear the hearing wasn't just about the U.S. Department of Education's budget for the next fiscal year; it was an existential fight over the department itself. McMahon's first words to the committee, after the usual thank-you's, were a flag-planting for the department's forceful dissolution. …