Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump‘s nominee for secretary of the U.S. Division of Training, vaguely responded to questions from U.S. senators about whether or not Black historical past programs in public colleges would violate Trump’s anti-DEI order in training. And whereas she expressed help for continued funding for HBCUs, McMahon signaled that some colleges might lose federal funding for so-called DEI applications.
Throughout her affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday, McMahon was requested instantly by Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., if colleges implementing Black Historical past Month programming or celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day would violate Trump’s Jan. 29 order that requires federal funds to be rescinded from instructional establishments that aren’t in compliance with its Ok-12 ban on “radical indoctrination,” which it defines as “gender ideology or discriminatory fairness ideology.”
“Not for my part; that’s clearly not the case,” McMahon mentioned of faculties celebrating MLK and BHM observances. She continued, “The celebration of Martin Luther King Day and Black Historical past Month must be celebrated all through all of our colleges.”
Nevertheless, when Murphy pressed additional about African-American historical past programs, McMahon didn’t definitively say whether or not they would violate Trump’s order. “I’m not fairly sure … I would love to try these applications and absolutely perceive the breadth of the manager order and get again to you on that,” mentioned the previous Small Enterprise Administration administrator throughout Trump’s first time period and founder and CEO of World Wrestling Leisure (WWE). McMahon had the same response when requested about whether or not affinity teams for minorities would additionally violate Trump’s new govt actions.
Ameshia Cross, communications director at EdTrust, mentioned of McMahon’s listening to testimony, “She was making an attempt to not get in bother together with her soon-to-be boss, make no mistake, ought to she be confirmed.” She instructed theGrio, “That is somebody who understands and skim Venture 2025, and that is somebody who has had a number of conferences with President Trump in addition to Senate management, governors of varied states which have already handed anti-DEI laws and insurance policies lengthy earlier than that govt order got here down.”
Cross mentioned it was ironic that McMahon’s international wrestling household enterprise is paradoxically very numerous, arguing that she understands that DEI is nice for enterprise. “The factor that has made her a billionaire has largely been that variety that she is now keen to cede,” famous Cross.
McMahon did, nonetheless, specific help for continued funding for Traditionally Black Faculties and Universities and for Pell Grants, that are disproportionately relied on by Black college students and their households, who’re sometimes low-income. The doubtless future training secretary mentioned she met with Howard College President Ben Vinson III every week in the past. She mentioned the 2 mentioned varied applications provided on the prestigious HBCU in Washington, D.C. McMahon vowed, “I sit up for persevering with these applications.”
Cross mentioned she is skeptical of McMahon’s assurances on HBCU and Pell Grant funding, telling theGrio, “Watch what she does and never what she says.” She defined, “There’s been no indication from the White Home, from DOGE [Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency] … that these two issues shall be protected.”
Becky Pringle, president of the Nationwide Training Affiliation, additionally slammed McMahon’s affirmation listening to. In a press release, Pringle mentioned, “Most of us imagine each scholar deserves the chance, sources, and help to succeed in their full potential irrespective of the place they dwell, the colour of their pores and skin, or how a lot their household earns.” She continued, “However we didn’t hear any of that.”
One other concern amongst advocates and Democrats is Trump’s anticipated govt order to primarily wind down the Division of Training as a part of his bigger aim of eliminating the federal company. A part of the order requires federal funding to prioritize college selection versus public college funding. Throughout Thursday’s listening to, Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., requested McMahon if personal colleges that may obtain funding would have the ability to flip away college students primarily based on race, incapacity, or different sometimes protected courses below federal regulation. McMahon didn’t reply the query instantly.
Blunt Rochester, the primary Black girl to characterize Delaware within the Senate, pressed McMahon on whether or not she would be certain that the civil rights of scholars of coloration and different minority teams are protected. McMahon replied, “Definitely civil rights, you already know, are the rights of everybody, and so we need to be sure that our colleges are implementing. Bullying shouldn’t occur anyplace. No youngster must be made to really feel uncomfortable.”
McMahon additionally steered that the Division of Training’s civil rights workplace and its features may very well be moved to the Division of Justice because the Trump administration goals to “get rid of” the DOE.
Pringle mentioned, if confirmed, McMahon will “dismantle public training as we all know it to fund tax cuts for billionaires.” She continued, “Repeatedly when pressed to distance herself from the reckless and unlawful govt orders signed by Donald Trump, McMahon merely refused to take action.”
“Our college students want an training secretary dedicated to completely funding the applications that may assist them attain their full potential, not siphoning cash to ship to non-public colleges,” Pringle added.
Cross warned that the Trump administration’s agenda on training entails shifting away from funding applications for school levels and extra towards improvement or coaching applications designed for the workforce.
“It’s one thing that I feel is a shift that’s largely reflective of the actual fact an increasing number of Black ladies, particularly, have levels as a proportion of the American inhabitants than another group,” she instructed theGrio. She added, “So making it tougher for them to entry is a aim right here.”
