When Donald Trump nominated Linda McMahon to be Education Secretary on Wednesday, social media posts linked to video of her meting out staged blows years ago, when she was the CEO of the World Wrestling Entertainment.
But “her toughness, conservative commentators say, is exactly what is needed to reform the bloated and misguided U.S. Department of Education” and give states needed flexibility in education policy, reports The College Fix.
“Vanquishing Washington’s bloated education bureaucracy will be a knock-down drag-out fight that Ms. McMahon may be well-suited for,” wrote The Wall Street Journal editorial board, saying that the post of Education Secretary is “a job that will require brawling with an oversized bureaucracy, teachers unions and other special interest heavyweights.”
“The Biden Administration has effectively turned the Education Department into an arm of the teachers unions and cultural left. Ms. McMahon’s top priorities will be ending student loan write-offs,” fixing “the department’s Title IX regulation, devolving school control to the states and promoting alternative education pathways,” the Journal said.
The National Association of Scholars praised the selection and called on the Senate to confirm her, praising McMahon’s longtime advocacy of school choice. “The system of free choice in higher education, however, has allowed a small number of truly excellent colleges to flourish. Likewise school choice applied to K-12 education will allow more and more high quality alternatives to establish themselves,” said NAS President Peter Wood.
“Secretary McMahon will face the challenge of helping these high quality alternative schools and colleges thrive in the face of fierce resistance by the educational establishment,” Wood added. “She is up to that challenge as shown by her personal and professional history as an advocate of ideas opposed by entrenched bureaucracies.”
McMahon headed the Small Business Administration in Trump’s first term in office. She has also served on the Connecticut state Board of Education and was on the board of trustees of Sacred Heart University.
McMahon said she is “committed to working tirelessly to ensure every student has access to a quality education.…I look forward to working collaboratively with students – educators – parents and communities to strengthen our educational system; ensuring every child regardless of their demographics is prepared for a bright future.”
Trump’s education secretary from 2017-2021, Betsy DeVos, backs McMahon’s nomination. “Very excited for my friend, Linda McMahon! She has a heart for kids and is a proven executive. I know she’s ready to go to work to expand education freedom, restore Title IX and protect women, fix the mess on college campuses, return power to states and families, and, most importantly, PUT STUDENTS FIRST,” DeVos posted.
The Defense of Freedom Institute’s Bob Eitel and Jim Blew — who previously served in high-ranking education posts — lauded McMahon’s nomination: “The incoming secretary’s fresh approach to leadership, as well as her service as a university trustee and state board of education member, make her the perfect choice to restore parental and local control over education,” they said.
Biden’s current education secretary, Miguel Cardona, has completely mismanaged the Education Department, resulting in the U.S. Government Accountability Office issuing scathing reports about how his Department “failed to properly oversee vendors and communicate with colleges and students.” Under Cardona, the Education Department failed three audits in a row, after it discarded basic management reforms implemented under his predecessor, Betsy DeVos, who served in the first Trump administration.
