[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 43 (Thursday, March 6, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S1601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONFIRMATION OF LINDA McMAHON

  Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, I was absent from the Senate on March 3, 
2025. Had I been present for rollcall vote No. 99 on the nomination of 
Linda McMahon, of Connecticut, to be Secretary of Education, I would 
have voted no. As Secretary, Mrs. McMahon will be a rubberstamp on 
President Trump's agenda to dismantle the Department of Education. 
President Trump has even said that he hopes that Mrs. McMahon ``puts 
herself out of a job.''
  The Department of Education is responsible for distributing funds to 
K-12 schools and administering Pell grants, the Federal Student Loan 
Program, and programs that help support students with disabilities. 
Already, the Trump administration has cut funding contracts within the 
Department that support data collection, learning tools, and programs 
to increase test scores.
  Mrs. McMahon does not have the experience required to support the 
more than 62 million students in their elementary to postsecondary 
education across the country. Mrs. McMahon has no experience teaching 
or working in a school. Her experience does not lend her the tools the 
Secretary of Education needs to address the complex needs of our 
Nation's students, who are struggling with rising mental health issues.
  I do not have confidence that, under Mrs. McMahon's leadership, the 
Department of Education will continue to perform its core duties and 
support students across the country, in all stages of their education.

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