Ahead of Confirmation Hearing, Senators Back McMahon

Linda McMahon—a former wrestling mogul and longtime ally of the president—will likely experience a smoother confirmation hearing Thursday than some of Donald Trump’s other cabinet members have so far, interviews with senators show. 

But after a tumultuous three weeks, senators on both sides of the aisle say they still have questions for the education secretary nominee, and recent reports that the president is finalizing an executive order to dismantle the department will likely loom large over the hearing.

Since Jan. 20, the Trump administration has cut critical research funding for hundreds of universities, granted data access to controversial DOGE staffers, reverted to a more narrow definition of sexual harassment and put certain employees on administrative leave for connections to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Combined, these moves have set off alarms for college and university stakeholders across the country. So Inside Higher Ed spent time on the Hill early this week asking senators from the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee what hopes and concerns they have for the nominee and her agenda.

Republicans generally showed support for McMahon or kept their comments neutral, though a select few voiced hesitation. Democrats, on the other hand, were quick to express a multitude of concerns, particularly regarding whether the department would be abolished.

That said, delegates of both parties seem less concerned about McMahon than they did about Pete Hegseth—who narrowly became secretary of defense through a tie-breaker vote—or Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who had to convince a former physician–turned–Republican senator that he would not continue advocating against vaccines in order to make it out of committee.

McMahon has also received less attention than Trump’s first education secretary, Betsy DeVos, who faced significant pushback to her nomination.

McMahon has little experience in education, but her résumé is slightly longer when it comes to D.C. policy. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term and went on to co-found the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank, in 2021.

Still, sexual assault prevention groups and nonprofit organizations representing racial minorities and low-income communities have strongly opposed McMahon’s confirmation. They question her minimal experience in higher ed and support for efforts to privatize public education.

“The leader of the U.S. Department of Education must prioritize and protect students’ civil rights—not seek to undermine them,” Emma Grasso Levine, a senior manager at Know Your IX, said in a statement. “Students deserve a leader who will defend them from discrimination and uphold their right to a safe, inclusive education.”

Some higher ed advocacy and lobbyist groups have also expressed concerns, though most openly acknowledged McMahon’s likelihood to be confirmed.

Dr. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who chairs the Senate HELP committee, met with McMahon on Jan. 23 and voiced strong support for her appointment.

“She is prepared to return power to parents and reform an Education Department that has lost the plot over the last 4 years of the Biden administration,” he said in a post on X shortly after.

But when asked for his thoughts Monday, the senator spoke more broadly, saying, “I look forward to her committee hearing.” As a former physician, Cassidy also touched on the Trump administration’s plan to cap the amount of grant dollars that can be spent on indirect components of research, like hazardous waste disposal, or utilities, at 15 percent. Although the executive action had been blocked by a court earlier that day, the senator remained cautious.

“I’ve heard from my people back home that it would be very difficult for universities in Louisiana to conduct this research, and of course, I want research done for the sake of my people,” he said.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a more centrist HELP member who was one of three Republican senators to vote against Hegseth, used her position as chair of the appropriations committee to express concerns about the cuts to higher ed research. She declined, however, to provide Inside Higher Ed with a comment on McMahon’s confirmation, saying she was on her way to a meeting and didn’t have time to stop.

Meanwhile, other members of the GOP say the funding slashes are justified and voice full support for McMahon.

“The NIH funding [cut] is coming because universities have abused it,” Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said Tuesday. “This is taxpayer dollars wanting to fund actual research for diseases … Why is it wrong that we cap [indirect spending] at 15 percent?”

Former Auburn University football coach Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said McMahon is “very prepared for the job” and already has his vote. And Senator Jim Banks of Indiana echoed Tuberville, calling her “a proven leader” who “has the president’s ear and his trust.”

Tim Scott of South Carolina said that “education is the closest thing we have to magic in America” and McMahon understands that.

“I look forward to working with her and President Trump to ensure that every student across our nation—regardless of race or zip code—has access to a quality education,” he said in an email statement.

When asked what specific questions they intended to ask McMahon come Thursday, the Republicans Inside Higher Ed spoke with skirted the subject. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, for example, chuckled and said, “Oh, I’m not gonna tell you, because then she’ll know.”

‘Lots of Questions’

Lawmakers from the left, however, had a lengthy list of questions and did not hesitate to share them, with the exception of ranking member Bernie Sanders, who was briskly headed back to his office and declined to comment, saying, “Not right now.”

Some Democrats who had been relatively open to McMahon’s confirmation in January expressed far more doubt this week. On a first pass last month, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said that as the son of a welder, he was “intrigued” by McMahon’s support for career and technical education. But Monday, he was less optimistic.

“I have a lot of questions,” he said. “‘Will there be a Department of Education?’ is kind of a starter … and then some of the initial round of [Education Department] grants being canceled will also be a topic of conversation.”

The Democrats lack a majority and would need at least four Republicans to flip in order to prevent McMahon’s confirmation in a final floor vote, which is highly unlikely. But that doesn’t mean they won’t put up a fight at the hearing.

Freshman senator and HELP committee member Andy Kim of New Jersey joined Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in sending McMahon a 12-page letter with 65 questions Tuesday. The letter asks about McMahon’s view on proposals to eliminate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, privatize the federal student loan system, not enforce existing borrower-defense regulations and dismantle the department’s investigations of “predatory” for-profit colleges.

“Senators Warren and Kim are demanding that McMahon arrive at her February 13 hearing prepared with answers,” a news release about the letter said.

The committee’s other first-term members, Senators Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, went one step further, expressing staunch opposition to McMahon’s confirmation.

Blunt Rochester said Monday that though she is eager to hear from McMahon, she will “not support these cabinet-level positions while this administration continues to freeze money and cause a lot of chaos and confusion.” Alsobrooks sang a similar tune, saying she lacks confidence that any of the president’s nominees will act in the best interest of the American people.

“They’re going to be pulled and controlled by Donald Trump, who is lawless and cruel,” she said. “So I will be voting no.”