Linda McMahon
McMahon, who previously served as head of the Small Business Administration during Trump's first term, steps into her new role as the department has already begun offering buyouts to staff, signaling the administration's determination to dramatically reduce the agency's footprint.
“I am deeply grateful to President Trump for his trust in me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Education,” said McMahon. “I am prepared to lead the Department in this transformational time and embrace the challenge to improve the education system for the more than 100 million children and college students who deserve better.”
Trump made his intentions for the department clear last month when he told reporters he wanted McMahon to "put herself out of a job." The statement aligns with his campaign promises to shutter the agency entirely, though such action would ultimately require congressional approval.
"President Trump pledged to make American education the best in the world, return education to the states where it belongs, and free American students from the education bureaucracy through school choice. I intend to make good on that promise,” said McMahon.
