U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon this week defended the Trump administration’s proposal to cut 15% from the department, reported NPR.
The plan would reduce bureaucracy and take “a significant step” toward President Donald Trump’s goal of dismantling the Education Department.
On the chopping block are a cluster of federal programs known as TRIO, meant to help individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
McMahon said the Education Department doesn’t have enough oversight of TRIO.
“These programs were negotiated at very tough terms,” McMahon said during a Senate Appropriation Committee’s education subcommittee hearing Tuesday. “The Department of Education has no ability to go in and look at the accountability of TRIO programs.”
Many lawmakers raised concerns about the cuts.
“You claim the administration’s goal of eliminating the department is about returning education to the states,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. “At the same time, this administration is attempting to exert more control than ever over the decisions in our schools and campuses.”
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., also pushed back against the assertion that the budget would give states more control over education.
“The reality is this administration is actually taking unprecedented steps to extort schools and universities and hold federal funding hostage if they don’t conform with your agenda,” Murray said. “It’s pretty clear that returning education to the states actually means letting states and colleges and local communities pick up the tab.”
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