Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Thursday on Newsmax that President Donald Trump's goal is not to eliminate education by dismantling the federal education system, but to strip away the federal bureaucracy, returning control of education to states, parents, and teachers.
Appearing on "Finnerty" as Newsmax celebrated Trump's first 200 days in office, McMahon credited the administration with significant progress in reshaping federal education policy, including a Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for cutting the Department of Education's staff by about 50% by Aug. 1.
McMahon stated that the department has already implemented substantial staffing reductions, with many employees opting for early retirement or being placed on administrative leave. She said the leaner department is operating "fast and furious" and "very efficiently" since the changes began.
She outlined three priorities during the administration's first 200 days: expanding school choice through provisions in a major education bill, negotiating agreements with universities on various policy issues and returning decision-making authority to states.
McMahon pushed back on the notion that the administration seeks to abolish education entirely.
"What the president wants to do is to get the bureaucracy out of education," she said. "We have to spend over 50 cents of every dollar that goes to a school for regulatory compliance. That money should be going to kids, to schools, to teachers' pay."
She said Trump supports closing the Department of Education's central office and shifting necessary functions to other agencies or eliminating them, in order to empower states to oversee their own school systems.
McMahon cited poor results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, noting that only 30% of eighth graders are proficient in reading.
"That means 70% are not," she said. "That's an incredibly unacceptable statistic in our country.
"I think actually he would like to see the doors closed and all of the aspects of the Department of Education into other agencies or those that are not necessary, you know, to be abolished. And I think that that is the right way to look at it."
Looking ahead, McMahon said the administration will continue to work toward moving control of education to governors, state superintendents, parents, and teachers, arguing that local decision-making will lead to better outcomes.
She described the president's first 200 days as "nothing short of amazing," highlighting more than 160 executive orders and ongoing negotiations to correct policy with various institutions such as Columbia University.
"We've been executing the 'big, beautiful bill' that had wonderful things in it for education, and more money for school choice is one big item in the 'big, beautiful bill.' And then, you know, lastly, we've been focused on returning education to the states," she said.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.