McMahon Answers More Lawmaker Questions on Reconciliation Bill, President’s Budget Request, and ED’s ‘Final Mission’
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
A day after testifying before a Senate appropriations subcommittee on President Donald Trump’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget request, Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Wednesday continued to field questions from lawmakers on this budget, along with other issues concerning the Department of Education (ED).
The hearing, hosted by the House Education and Workforce Committee, focused on ED’s policies and priorities concerning both K-12 and higher education. In his opening remarks, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), chair of the committee, criticized the Biden administration’s efforts to forgive student loan debt and praised McMahon’s “final mission” to dissolve ED.
“Our education system has failed to prepare a workforce with the skills employers need,” Walberg said. “This is what Democrats are defending. Republicans believe there's a better way. We believe in reducing bureaucracy, trusting our educators, trusting our state and local leaders, and trusting the innovators who are pushing against the barriers thrown up by the bureaucracy, and above all, we trust our parents.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, used his opening remarks to express concerns over a series of recent administrative actions. Scott’s concerns included Trump’s full budget request, – released last week – which makes significant cuts to the Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program, the Federal Work-Study (FWS), and TRIO programs.
“I would be remiss if I did not note that the department’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal would make it more difficult for students to enroll in and afford a college education by proposing reductions in funding to need-based grants, such as Pell and Work Study,” Scott said. “This is achieved by removing staff who oversee federal student aid administration and oversight, forcing borrowers into unaffordable repayment plans, and aggressively garnishing the wages of low-income borrowers.”
Throughout the hearing, multiple Democratic lawmakers expressed concerns about proposed cuts to the Pell Grant and TRIO programs.
McMahon during her opening remarks reiterated that the Trump administration's goal is to eliminate federal bureaucracy, cut waste at ED, and “give education back to states, parents and educators.”
“That's our goal, to give parents access to the quality education their kids deserve, to fix the broken higher education industry that has misled students into degrees that don't pay off, and to create safe learning environments,” McMahon said. “We're holding institutions to account when they facilitate discriminatory or hostile environments on campus. A level playing field with limitless opportunity, I think, is a vision that we all can share.”
Beyond Trump’s FY 26 budget request, other points of discussion included borrower defense to repayment – including ED’s recent decision to rescind a $37.7 million fine against Grand Canyon University. McMahon did not answer questions on how ED was addressing a backlog of borrower defense cases.
Lawmakers also asked McMahon questions on the Trump administration’s efforts to dissolve ED – including a reduction in force (RIF) of nearly half of ED’s workforce and an executive order directing McMahon to wind-down the department. Notably in May, a federal judge blocked ED’s RIF and ordered the administration to reinstate laid-off employees.
Scott asked McMahon if ED intends to comply with this order, in which she responded that ED will always comply with the law.
A key topic of discussion during the hearing was the House GOP’s reconciliation bill, which was passed earlier in May and now heads to the Senate. Walberg asked McMahon what the Trump administration sees as the most important higher education policies included in the legislation. McMahon said that the bill’s proposed risk-sharing agreement for institutional accountability and creation of a Workforce Pell Grant program were some of the most important provisions.
McMahon reiterated the importance of creating a Workforce Pell Grant program several times throughout the hearing, stating that the program will allow individuals to join the workforce quicker.
Scott noted during his questioning that the House reconciliation bill would also cut Pell funding for many students, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis.
Walberg pushed back on Democrats’ critiques and ended the hearing by reiterating that the House GOP legislation seeks to provide students and taxpayers with improved academic and economic outcomes.
“I believe what we've just done with reconciliation and the one big, beautiful bill will be a facilitator for a lot of growth and opportunity,” Walberg said. “Again, students, parents, teachers, if we get those three component parts right in education, we will succeed.”
As a reminder, NASFAA is calling on its members to reach out to their senators to express their concerns with the House education reconciliation bill. Stay tuned to Today’s News for more updates on the appropriations process, and the GOP reconciliation bill.
Publication Date: 6/5/2025
David S | 6/5/2025 11:56:55 AM
Higher ed has not done enough to dispel this "misled students into degrees that don't pay off" mythology that the right pushes. Because when they say it, they don't mean stopping schools that have been shown to have actually misled students...they have done everything in their power to get rid of all borrower defense regulations and penalties when fraud really does occur (remember, Linda McMahon works for the founder of Trump University). Push them on it, and they point to liberal arts degrees, employing logic that can pretty much be boiled down to "English majors graduate and there are no jobs available as Englishers."
The truth is that those with a college degree earn significantly more than those without, even those who start and don't complete a degree earn more than those with no postsecondary education. This has always been the case and always will be. Colleges are not failing; the Linda McMahons of the world went to college, so did their kids, they just don't want your kid to go to college, and will gladly push false narratives to accomplish that.
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