Washington, D.C. — In an interview with Fox News Rundown, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon shared her plans to change how the federal government handles education.
She talked about cutting back on federal control, focusing more on local decision-making, fixing student loan issues, and supporting job training programs.
Cutting Back Federal Bureaucracy
McMahon said the Trump administration wants to reduce the size and role of the Department of Education. Although removing the department completely would take an act of Congress, she said they are already taking smaller steps to reduce its power.
“The president just really wants to make sure that we are eliminating the bureaucracy of the Department of Education,” McMahon explained. She believes local schools, teachers, and parents—not Washington—should make decisions about education.
She also said that federal funding might be better handled by a different agency, though no decision has been made yet.
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Concerns About Student Performance
McMahon is worried about poor student test scores. She pointed to recent data showing that only 30% of eighth graders are reading at a proficient level. High school students aren’t doing much better, with only 30% to 40% reading at grade level.
“That’s a clear indictment on something that we are not doing correctly,” she said.
She added that the U.S. has spent over $3 trillion on education since the Department of Education was created in 1980, but scores have either stayed the same or gotten worse.
Focus on Job Training
McMahon wants more support for vocational training. She shared an example from West Virginia, where a community college partners with Toyota to train students who later work in a nearby factory.
“We’ve got 8 million jobs in our country that we don’t have a skilled workforce for,” she said. She wants to make career training a respected option starting in middle and high school.
Fixing the Student Loan System
McMahon criticized the Department’s role in collecting student loans, saying, “The Department of Education is not a bank.” About one-third of the Department’s employees and budget are tied to student loans.
She said that since loan payments were paused in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, no collections have been made, and the debt keeps growing. The Department is now working with the Treasury to restart collections and improve the process.
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Title IX and Women’s Sports
McMahon said the administration is serious about enforcing Title IX to protect women’s sports. President Trump signed an executive order to prevent biological males from competing in women’s events.
“Title IX was set up to protect women in sports… and that is the law of the land,” she said. Schools and colleges that don’t follow the law could lose federal funding. The Office of Civil Rights is handling enforcement.
What’s Next
McMahon said she will keep pushing for local control, better student outcomes, and smarter spending. While big changes to the Department of Education will need approval from Congress, she made it clear the administration wants to shift power away from Washington and give it back to states, schools, and families.
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