LINDA MCMAHON: THE HITMAN OF EDUCATION OR JUST A MISGUIDED SUBSTITUTE TEACHER?

 
LINDA MCMAHON

THE HITMAN OF EDUCATION OR JUST A MISGUIDED SUBSTITUTE TEACHER?

Watching Education Secretary Linda McMahon testify before Congress is like tuning into a cooking show where the chef keeps burning the water. It’s a performance so baffling, you find yourself wondering if she’s there to dismantle the Department of Education or audition for a reality show called "America’s Least Prepared Bureaucrats." With every question posed by lawmakers, McMahon seems to channel the energy of a student who forgot there was a test that day, repeatedly promising to “get back to you later” — though “later” appears to be a mythical land we’ll never reach.

McMahon’s tenure as Education Secretary under President Donald Trump has been nothing short of a masterclass in how to confuse, frustrate, and alienate just about everyone in the education sector. If her goal is to make the Department of Education as relevant as a Blockbuster membership card, she’s succeeding spectacularly. Her strategy? Slashing staff, cutting program funding, and ending congressionally approved initiatives faster than you can say “Project 2025.” It’s all part of the MAGA playbook, which seems to view education policy less as a public good and more as an elaborate game of *How Low Can We Go?*

Title IX: From Pride Month to Pride-less Month

In a move that feels like it was cooked up in the Department of Irony, McMahon recently declared June as “Title IX Month,” effectively replacing LGBTQ+ Pride Month. The administration is wielding Title IX — originally designed to protect against sex-based discrimination — like a blunt instrument to exclude transgender individuals from sports and other sex-segregated spaces. Apparently, the DOE’s interpretation of Title IX is less about inclusion and more about creating a cisgender bubble wrap around certain spaces. Investigations into institutions like the University of Wyoming, which dared to admit a trans woman into a sorority, come with threats of federal funding cuts. Because nothing says “supporting education” like punishing schools for being inclusive.

The message is clear: If you’re not on board with this administration’s narrow interpretation of equality, prepare to lose funding faster than a college student loses sleep during finals week.

The “Final Mission”: Dismantling the DOE

McMahon has made no secret of her ultimate goal: dismantling the Department of Education entirely. She’s like the Marie Kondo of federal agencies, except instead of asking if something “sparks joy,” she’s asking if it sparks states’ rights. Her plan includes transferring education programs to other agencies, cutting bureaucracy (read: staff), and empowering parents to make decisions — because nothing says efficiency like 50 states each reinventing the wheel.

Her priorities are as predictable as they are controversial: ditch diversity programming, focus on “core subjects,” and emphasize higher education as a career pathway. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs? Gone. Title I funding for public schools that fail to comply? Also gone. It’s like watching someone try to fix a leaky faucet by setting the entire house on fire.

Budget Cuts: The Gift That Keeps on Taking

Under Trump’s administration, the Department of Education has faced a proposed 15% budget cut — because apparently, nothing says “Make America Great Again” like making education harder to access. Billions in grant programs have been eliminated, with special education laws facing unprecedented changes. Meanwhile, charter schools are getting an extra $60 million in grants, because privatizing education is apparently the hill this administration has chosen to die on.

And let’s not forget the temporary restoration of pandemic-relief funds for 16 states just before their expiration — a move that feels less like a thoughtful policy decision and more like throwing breadcrumbs at starving pigeons.

Mascots and Missteps: The New York Fiasco

In perhaps one of the strangest turns during her tenure, McMahon recently criticized New York’s statewide ban on Native American mascots. Her argument? The ban violates federal civil rights law (Title VI), because other cultural mascots like the “Dutchmen” and “Huguenots” are still allowed. She even praised Massapequa High School’s mascot as a shining example of Native American leadership — a statement that drew both applause from local conservatives and eye-rolls from pretty much everyone else.

The state, backed by local tribes, defended the ban as a necessary step to combat harmful stereotypes. But McMahon wasn’t having it. She demanded New York rescind the ban within 10 days or risk losing federal funding. The irony, of course, is that while McMahon claims to champion civil rights in this case, her broader policies have been anything but inclusive.

Research Funding: Align or Decline

In yet another head-scratching move, McMahon announced that university research must align with Trump administration goals to maintain federal funding. This policy has sparked widespread criticism for undermining scientific independence and cutting grants in critical fields like health and safety. It’s as if the administration looked at America’s global research leadership and thought, “What if we just… didn’t?”

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has only added fuel to the fire by promoting disinformation and threatening to ban government-funded scientists from publishing in top medical journals. The result? A chilling effect on scientific progress and public welfare that feels more dystopian than democratic.

The Legacy: Freer and Stronger?

McMahon insists that her mission is to leave American education “freer and stronger” for future generations. But if this is freedom, it comes at the cost of inclusivity, equity, and basic functionality. Her tenure has been marked by legal challenges, public backlash, and policy decisions that seem designed to prioritize ideology over impact.

In the end, Linda McMahon’s legacy may well be defined by what she took away rather than what she gave. Whether it’s funding for rural schools, support for poor kids, or protections for marginalized communities, her approach feels less like leadership and more like sabotage.

So here’s to Linda McMahon: the hitman of education policy, the queen of unanswered questions, and the unlikely face of an administration determined to make education harder for everyone except those who need it least. If nothing else, she’s taught us one thing: sometimes, the most dangerous person in the room isn’t the one with all the answers — it’s the one who doesn’t even know the questions.

FULL HEARING: Education Secretary McMahon testifies on budget request before Senate Appropriations https://www.youtube.com/live/OfwRP8GfwYQ?si=Ff_6KphpQ-Oew2Yo via @YouTube 

Education Secretary McMahon testifies on 2026 budget request in House hearing https://www.youtube.com/live/cMZzH3oRu64?si=sGmai1TXjhAMruvZ via @YouTube 

Rosa DeLauro Torches Education Secretary McMahon For 'Deliberately And Flagrantly' Defying The Law https://youtu.be/NVP7og6PKPc?si=azdh6lXkFyDHSJrr via @YouTube