Linda McMahon Leads Education Department Overhaul While Cutting Minority Institution Funding

Linda McMahon, who served as administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 during President Donald Trump's first term, now leads the U.S. Department of Education as secretary. According to WXXI News on April 22, 2026, McMahon is driving efforts to dismantle the department, a goal Trump assigned her upon confirmation. New Yorker writer Zach Helfand detailed her background as a former pro-wrestling executive with World Wrestling Entertainment now spearheading this major restructuring. On April 22, 2026, the Coeur d'Alene Press reported McMahon rallied students at a charter school in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. During a press conference after the assembly, she discussed closing the Department of Education, noting it did not exist for most of American history. The Bradenton Times on April 22, 2026, covered controversy over funding cuts for minority-serving institutions. Democrats and advocates criticized the Trump administration's moves after the Justice Department deemed several grant programs unconstitutional in December. Secretary McMahon concurred with that opinion, prompting the department to evaluate impacts on programs for Black, Asian, Indigenous, and Hispanic students. Despite a February spending package boosting some funds to 79 billion dollars for the department, the fiscal 2027 budget proposes eliminating 354 million dollars for these institutions. InfluenceWatch confirms McMahon's prior Small Business Administration role and her current education position effective March 3, 2025. No recent headlines tie her directly to new Small Business Administration decisions, as Kelly Loeffler took that role in February 2025 per Paul Hastings updates. These developments highlight McMahon's focus on reshaping federal education policy amid partisan pushback. Thank you for tuning in, listeners, and please subscribe for more updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.