Linda McMahon, who previously led World Wrestling Entertainment, has become a central figure in the Trump administration’s high-profile and controversial efforts to restructure federal education policy. According to USA Today and several education news reports, McMahon has played a leading role as Secretary of Education, collaborating directly with President Trump in a sweeping plan to dismantle much of the Department of Education. Despite the administration’s lack of congressional authority to eliminate the department altogether, McMahon has pursued large-scale downsizing through executive actions.

This week, McMahon announced that six key offices within the Education Department will be reassigned to other federal agencies. Grants for low-income and first-generation students as well as special education funds are moving to the Department of Labor. The Office of Indian Education will shift to the Department of the Interior, while child care funding for college students moves to Health and Human Services. The Fulbright and international education programs will now be handled by the State Department. More than thirty billion dollars in grants are affected by these moves. McMahon has described this transfer of authority as peeling back federal bureaucracy by relying on agencies better suited to manage specific programs.

This approach has sparked significant backlash. The National Association of Federal Student Aid Administrators expressed concern over the potential loss of expertise and disruption for millions of students, citing efficiency and the risk of new obstacles for those needing aid. Congressional Democrats led by Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Representative Ayanna Pressley issued a letter warning McMahon and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent against any plans to sell or privatize the approximately one point seven trillion dollar federal student loan portfolio, noting the risk of enriching private interests at the expense of taxpayers and student borrowers.

Despite these agency transfers, McMahon’s department has not yet eliminated core programs such as the federal student aid system, Office of Civil Rights, and funding for students with disabilities. However, insiders warn that further administrative moves are expected. Critics—from teachers' unions to Democratic lawmakers—describe the plan as dismantling vital protections and slashing resources for low-income families, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz vowing political resistance.

Observers note that while the Trump administration frames these reforms as an elimination of alleged bureaucratic bloat, others argue it amounts to starving federal education programs and protections, undermining both efficiency and access for vulnerable students. Since taking office, McMahon has overseen mass layoffs within the department and reversal of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, steps which have further fueled legal and political challenges. These continuing and rapid changes underscore the uncertain future of federal education policy under McMahon’s leadership.

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