Senator Marshall to Secretary of Education Nominee Linda McMahon: How Do We Right the Ship of America’s Education System?

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. participated in the nomination hearing for President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the Department of Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee yesterday.

Senator Marshall questioned McMahon on topics including biological boys in girls’ sports, combating antisemitism on college campuses, and Workforce Pell Grants. 

McMahon is a proven business leader and a steadfast advocate for parents’ rights, successfully leading the Small Business Administration (SBA) to new heights during President Trump’s first Administration. Senator Marshall met with McMahon ahead of her confirmation hearing and believes she is the best fit to lead the Department of Education. As a first-generation college graduate and medical doctor, Senator Marshall understands firsthand the importance of education and is concerned about our current education system.

You may click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full remarks.

Highlights from Ms. McMahon’s confirmation hearing include:

On Ms. McMahon’s top priorities for the Department of Education: 

Senator Marshall: “Mrs. McMahon, when I speak to youth, I typically talk about the three pillars of my life – faith, family, and education – and thanks to a strong faith, a loving family, and the public educators in my life, I was a first-generation college kid who got to live my American dream and become a physician and practice in rural medicine. So, this education thing is so important to all of us on both sides of the dais. I raised four kids in public schools, and unfortunately, I’ve seen the deterioration of the education system. And again, we have the most incredible teachers and coaches back home – and I’m grateful for all of them, but I think we’d all agree we’re going the wrong direction. Just really big picture: what would be your top priorities? How do we move? How do we change the ship’s direction?”

Ms. McMahon: “The President has given a very clear directive that he would like to look in totality at the Department of Education, and believes that the bureaucracy of it should be closed – that we should return education to our states, that the best education is that closest to the kids, and that we should work with our local schools, with our superintendents, with our parents, to make sure that the education that our students are getting are the ones that is best for them. It’s not one-size-fits-all education policy throughout the country.”

“I’m very hopeful that we will get back to the basics of education so that our children can read when they leave third grade and that eighth-grade students can have math and reading proficiency. Today, only one-third of high school students graduating can read proficiently. That means two-thirds can’t. We are failing our students. Our Department of Education, and what we are doing today, is not working, and we need to change it.”

On biological boys competing in girls’ sports:

Senator Marshall: “Mrs. McMahon, should boys – biological boys – be allowed to compete against girls in sports?”

Ms. McMahon: “I do not believe that biological boys should be able to compete against girls in sports, and I think now that certainly not only have the people spoken, because that was something that President Trump ran very hard on, but also the court has spoken.”

On combating antisemitism on college campuses:

Senator Marshall: “Mrs. McMahon, I feel like antisemitism has become endemic in our universities. Would you be open to some type of an antisemitism commission to evaluate the progress of the universities on this issue?”

Ms. McMahon: “Yes, I would, and I’d look forward to perhaps working with you or other members of the committee on such a commission.”

On reforming Workforce Pell Grants to increase access: 

Senator Marshall: “Let’s talk about Workforce Pell Grants for a second – and we can’t keep doing what we’re doing. The average starting salary for graduates from our community colleges and technical colleges back home is higher than our four-year universities, and their debt is close to zero, if not zero as well. Would you speak to that some more? What do you feel about more flexibility of Pell Grants?”
Ms. McMahon: “I certainly would like to see workforce Pell Grants, and it goes through various stages of getting passed. But I definitely think that Workforce Pell Grants are something that could stimulate our economy, provide opportunity for those who want to participate in skilled-based learning, to have the opportunity – if we’d have short-term certificates of Pell Grants – that would get those students into the workplace faster if they want to be electricians, HVAC developers, and apprenticeships, and internships – all of that. In fact, in the first Trump Administration, I was part of – with SBA, working with the Department of Labor – making sure that there were more apprenticeship programs across the country, because those are very, very vital to the growth of not only our economy, but our businesses in general.”