3 insights from McMahon’s testimony on the Education Department’s budget proposal
3 insights from McMahon’s testimony on the Education Department’s budget proposal
Lawmakers grilled U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on the agency’s dismantling, its handling of civil rights cases and the future of TRIO.
Published April 28, 2026
Natalie Schwartz
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U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Tuesday faced a grilling from Senate lawmakers over the Trump administration’s proposal to dramatically cut funding for student aid programs and civil rights investigations.
Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s education subcommittee, McMahon also defended her efforts thus far to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
The White House’s budget plan for the 2027 fiscal year would advance those plans, trimming the Education Department’s discretionary funding by 2.9% to $76.5 billion.
The proposal would eliminate federal funding for key student access programs, including TRIO and Gear Up, which together help underserved students prepare for and succeed in college. The agency's Office for Civil Rights, which investigates discrimination complaints on college campuses and K-12 schools, would see a 35% cut under the plan.
Below, we’re sharing three major takeaways from the hearing, including debate over the department’s dismantling, the future of TRIO and Gear Up, and the agency’s handling of civil rights cases.
McMahon defends efforts to dismantle the Education Department
McMahon drew sharp criticism from some lawmakers over her moves to offload some of the Education Department’s responsibilities to other federal agencies.
So far, the Education Department has struck 10 agreements with five other agencies to take on some of its duties. The U.S. Department of Labor, for instance, will administer most grant programs authorized under the Higher Education Act, including TRIO and Gear Up. It has also taken on career and technical education programs and the administration of several K-12 grants.
Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the subcommittee’s top Democrat, questioned whether the Labor Department could handle those duties, arguing that the grants being transferred are far more complex than those the agency currently manages.
Baldwin also noted the Labor Department’s Office of Inspector General has repeatedly found that the agency has struggled to manage its existing grant portfolio. Sharing a grant portfolio with the Education Department could present additional “operational challenges,” the internal watchdog said in a January report.
McMahon defended the interagency agreements.
“There's some hiccups along the way at the beginning,” McMahon said. But she added that having the Labor Department administer the grants “will help our students as they go from K through 12 into higher education be prepared for the workforce."
Lawmakers show bipartisan support for TRIO
The White House’s budget proposal would eliminate all $1.6 billion in federal funding for TRIO and Gear Up. Congress rejected a similar request during the last budget cycle, preserving funding for the programs for the current year.
McMahon contended during Tuesday’s hearing that TRIO has not met its own goals. But lawmakers from both parties voiced support for TRIO, with some pointing to data linking participation in various TRIO programs to higher retention and graduation rates.
“I would hope that you would share with this committee the metrics that you have that show that these programs are not successful,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire.
McMahon was also questioned over shifting priorities for two TRIO programs: Talent Search, which historically has provided 6th-12th grade students with tutoring and college application help, and Educational Opportunity Centers, which has focused on helping adult students attend college.
But advocates and lawmakers raised alarms when notices inviting grant applications for the two programs suggested that the Education Department would expand them to also focus on alternatives to higher education, such as apprenticeships and career and technical training.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to McMahon earlier this month arguing the changes “redirect funds from the core purpose” of the programs and urging the Education Department to withdraw the notices.
“TRIO is designed for higher education,” Collins said Tuesday, adding that it is meant to promote college preparation and awareness for low-income and first-generation students.
In light of the changes, she said that the Education Department’s agreement with the Labor Department to administer the grant programs has negatively impacted those competitions, and higher education institutions in her state would be hurt by their change in focus to workforce development.
Collins also asked McMahon if the Labor Department wrote the new grant criteria, which McMahon denied.
McMahon added that the Education Department was evaluating if TRIO could "be reformed" to support "a different kind of opportunity" beyond traditional higher ed.
Under the Trump administration, the program could potentially serve high school graduates who want to proceed "into apprenticeship programs or skilled workforce," she said.
Lawmakers decry Office for Civil Rights' track record under Trump
Last year, the Education Department's OCR office reached only 112 resolution agreements over civil rights complaints — the fewest in over a decade — according to a report Tuesday from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office. That represents just 1% of the nearly 12,000 cases pending at the start of the year.
The office has had a tumultuous year. In March 2025, the Education Department moved to lay off about half of its OCR staff and close seven of 12 of its regional offices as part of a massive reduction in force. However, the agency eventually brought back many of those workers, who had been placed on administrative leave, following a court order.
“We are bringing back many of those lawyers which were part of that RIF,” McMahon said. “There was a time when we were not processing cases as quickly as we should, but we are now focused on doing that.”
But McMahon’s response wasn’t enough for some lawmakers.
“My understanding is you're doing that not out of your own volition,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut. "The court found that you were in gross violation of the law."
McMahon rejected that framing and pointed to the October appointment of Kimberly Richey — who she called “the most effective person in the prior Trump administration” — to lead OCR. She also said that the Education Department “in this budget” has money to hire more lawyers.
But Murphy pointed out that the White House's fiscal 2027 budget proposal allocates $91 million for OCR — a 35% reduction from the previous year. Education Department budget documents also call for reducing OCR staffing by nearly half, from 530 employees to 271.
In response, McMahon disputed that the Trump administration’s budget request would reduce funding for civil rights work.
When Baldwin later stressed in closing remarks that the proposed $49 million reduction to OCR represented a 35% cut, McMahon added: “That is the floor that we are recommending for the hiring of the new attorneys. That's a floor number. Hopefully we'll have the ability to increase that number.”
The Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment asking for clarification.
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