Senate confirms NC native Linda McMahon to lead, and dismantle, Education Department
North Carolina native Linda McMahon testified two weeks ago before a Senate committee that she supported President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to close the Department of Education.
Knowing that, the U.S. Senate confirmed McMahon’s nomination for education secretary Monday night in a 51-to-45 vote.
“I am really all for the president’s mission, which is to return education to the states,” McMahon told members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Feb. 13.
The Department of Education was created in 1980 with a mission to help improve the quality of and provide equal access to education, among other things.
On Monday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the Senate floor that he appreciates that McMahon knows that education is not “one size fits all.”
“School districts and individual schools have different needs,” Thune said. “And every student has his or her own needs and aspirations. So I’m glad Mrs. McMahon plans to work in a way that empowers those closest to the student, because they are in the best position to do what’s right for that student.”
Democrats were not supportive.
“I’m very proud that every single Democrat will vote against Ms. Mahon,” said Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “Ms. McMahon’s confirmation would be a slap in the face to students, parents, teachers who care about our public schools.”
He added that Americans believe in public education and don’t want to see cuts.
“They don’t want to see the Department of Education abolished,” Schumer said. “If the Trump administration follows through on cuts to education, schools will lose billions in funding.”
And Schumer warned that would lead to an increase in property taxes.
Democrats tried to fight McMahon’s confirmation in committee, before it reached the Senate floor, but it passed 12-11 on party lines.
And after Monday night’s vote of the entire Senate body, the only thing left for McMahon to become the 13th person to lead the agency is for her to take her oath of office.
Who is McMahon?
McMahon, 76, is best known as the co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment.
She grew up in New Bern and attended East Carolina University, where she earned a degree in French.
It was in North Carolina that McMahon met her now-estranged husband, Vince McMahon. Together they created their multi-billion-dollar wrestling entertainment company.
The McMahons left North Carolina, eventually moving to Connecticut where McMahon served for a year on the state’s Board of Education. She would resign as a news outlet readied to report that she misled the state’s governor for her appointment by saying she held an education degree from ECU.
McMahon told local newspapers her resignation was not because of the article but because she was running for the Senate and wouldn’t be allowed to raise campaign money while serving on the board.
McMahon also served on the Sacred Heart University Board of Trustees.
McMahon the nominee
McMahon was Trump’s first nominee to have served in his previous administration. Beginning in 2017, McMahon led the Small Business Administration until 2019, when she resigned to lead a pro-Trump political action committee.
Opponents of McMahon’s nomination to lead the Department of Education cite her lack of experience in the field, which Republicans say is an asset for someone charged with closing the agency.
Opponents are also critical of WWE for its violent, vulgar and sexual content.
But she also has supporters.
Chairman Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana who leads the HELP Committee, said McMahon demonstrated a strong vision for the department.
“She is committed to empowering parents and returning power to states and local communities, which by the way, are best equipped to address students’ needs,” Cassidy said in the committee.
This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Senate confirms NC native Linda McMahon to lead, and dismantle, Education Department."