Linda McMahon punches back at senators questioning Education Department cuts

Education Secretary Linda McMahon shared plans to hire more lawyers to work on civil rights cases after she said too many were fired last year. Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via hide caption toggle caption Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via In a fiery hearing Tuesday, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended her work dismantling the very department she leads, with Senate Democrats saying the results have made life harder for parents and students. McMahon's first appearance on Capitol Hill in nearly a year was intended to unpack the White House proposal on education spending for the 2027 fiscal year — and gave senators a chance to take stock of McMahon's actions. Some Republicans, including Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, cheered McMahon's changes, like her push for expanding school choice, while many shared the concerns of their Democratic counterparts about proposed cuts to TRIO, a group of federal programs that help disadvantaged students get into and through college. In one testy exchange, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington asked why parents must now contact more than one federal agency for services that were once solely provided by the Education Department. …