McMahon grilled on DOGE and DEI as Education Department upheaval looms

• The hearing was interrupted at least five times by protesters.

What she's saying: McMahon outlined in opening remarks the "remedy" for what she deemed as "excessive consolidation of power," calling for funding "education freedom, not government-run systems."

• "Listen to parents, not politicians," she added. "Build up careers, not college debt."

Yes, but: McMahon spent around two-and-a-half hours auditioning to helm a department that Trump wants to see eliminated, a dynamic Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) described as a "very elegant gaslighting."

McMahon on Trump's proposed ED takedown

McMahon agreed that congressional action would be needed to eliminate the Education Department when pressed by Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

• "It clearly cannot be shut down without it," she said.

McMahon emphasized it is not the administration's goal to "defund the programs" offered by the department but "only to have it operate more efficiently."

• She suggested shifting special education funding to the Department of Health and Human Services, helmed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Asked by Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) whether Trump agreed that the power of dismantling the ED lies with Congress, McMahon said "he's also stated that he will work with Congress to make that happen."

• Kim drew a parallel to the dismantling of USAID, asking if the Trump administration could unilaterally strip "elements" of the department "not codified by statute." McMahon replied that she would like to "look into that more."

There are a "couple of implants" from DOGE at ED

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) pressed McMahon on the presence of Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency representatives at ED, contending "students' privacy" could be "placed in jeopardy."

• Asked if DOGE employees should have access to "private student data," McMahon said she believes DOGE employees have been "onboarded" as ED employees and therefore "operate under the restraints of of utilizing access of information."
• She characterized their presence as "a couple of implants" from the DOGE team "doing an audit."

McMahon committed to directing federal funds to be spent as appropriated by Congress.

Yes, but: Asked by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) about DOGE's announced contract cuts totaling some $881 million and elimination of training grants, McMahon said she wanted to "get in and assess these kind of programs," saying she's "not sure yet what the impact of all of those programs are."

DEI executive order confusion

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) grilled McMahon on Trump's executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion, highlighting reporting that U.S. Military Academy at West Point has shuttered a dozen clubs, including the National Society of Black Engineers Club, to comply with the White House's DEI directives.

• Asked how a school would know if they are running a "DEI program" that could compromise federal funding, McMahon said DEI is "a program that's tough," arguing, "We are getting back to more segregating of our schools instead of having more inclusion in our schools."
• Murphy posed the example of Martin Luther King Day celebrations in schools, which McMahon said would not be in violation "in my view."

Zoom out: Trump in an executive order last month directed the secretary of Education to create a plan directing federal funding cuts for K-12 schools over what he deemed as "discriminatory" gender and equity ideology.

But asked if a public school that upheld "ethnic clubs" similar to those at West Point would be at risk of losing federal funding, McMahon said she did not want to address "hypothetical situations."

• "If you're running an African American history class, Could you perhaps be in violation of this order?" Murphy asked, to which McMahon replied, "I'm not quite certain, and I'd like to look into it further."

Go deeper: What to know about Trump's plan to eliminate the Department of Education