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December 4th, 2024 Len’s Political Note #689 Oppose Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education
2025 Trump Cabinet
Donald Trump has an exquisite sense of the insulting. He demonstrated that capacity with his nomination of Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education. Even in these days when Republicans are critical of the extent to which the Department of Education has approached issues that touch on religion and politics, teachers of all stripes and political beliefs understand their work is to teach children to read and write and compute, the various subject matters and the ways of thinking required for success in the world, and to help children develop the character that reflects the best American values. Granted, there are differences about the details.
Donald Trump has nominated Linda McMahon to be Secretary of Education. If there were no facts available other than that she made her billions running the business Wrestling World Entertainment (WWE), that nomination would be seen as an insult to educators. Knowing nothing else, nominating the head of an organization, no matter how successful, that is based on fake competition, that is all pretense and no reality is inconsistent with what almost all teachers understand to be “the best American values.”
It would be exceedingly difficult to find someone who would argue that the country would be better if American children learned how to succeed at creating the flamboyant appearance of competition rather than a judicious use of cooperation and competition. Research demonstrates that Professional wrestling’s false violence and its genuine sexualization of the women associated with wrestling leads to increased violence by the children who watch the fake sport.
Linda McMahon has participated in the experience, appearing to kick her husband in the groin, appearing to slap her daughter’s face and knock her down. We know that Linda McMahon’s organization has been charged with knowing about the use of steroids to create bulkier wrestlers. We know she was aware of the predatory sexual behavior toward boys by a long-time wrestling announcer employed by the organization.
Supporters of the nomination point to Linda McMahon’s business success. She and her husband turned the tiny operation they bought from his father into a multi-million dollar corporation. Supporters of the nomination point to the business-like approach Linda McMahon took to serving on Sacred Heart University’s Board of Trustees. Supporters of Linda McMahon’s nomination point to her success running the Small Business Administration during Trump’s last presidency.
None of this is what the nomination of Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education is about. That nomination is made to assist Donald Trump in his effort to abolish the Education Department as a Cabinet post so that education, like abortion, becomes a state matter. Trump promises to return educational leadership to the states, notwithstanding two things: 1. Even now, educational leadership largely still rests with the states. 2. A federal leadership role in education has existed for centuries.
Even the earliest legislation about settling the West required land to be set aside for schools. The creation of the District of Columbia included a federal authorization of schools. The President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, was also the president of the DC school board.
Education reform was a national issue in the 1830s and became a federal matter as the young Henry Barnard, a Connecticut legislator who believed information was power and was not yet the executive for the Rhode Island school board, persuaded the Census Bureau to include questions about education in the 1840 census.
After the Civil War, led by the young abolitionist Ohio Congressman James Garfield, assisted by the Ohio Commissioner of Education, Congress passed a bill to create a federal Department of Education. The bill was signed into law in 1867 by President Andrew Johnson, who had been assured that this new department would not add to his troubles. Henry Barnard was appointed Commissioner and the Department had its role in ensuring that states seeking readmission to the Union had included plans for educating all children, among them children who were slaves or the children of freed slaves. Congress subsequently reduced the department’s designation to an “office” and tucked it inside the Interior Department, but did not change its responsibilities.
The federal role in education became controversial again under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In what is sometimes described as the second New Deal, FDR consolidated and revised supervision of several agencies, among them the Office of Education, into a Federal Security Agency to ”promote social and economic security, educational opportunity and the health of the citizens of the Nation.”
This is not to say that FDR actually attempted to revitalize and operate programs solely through the office of education. Nearly every President, from the middle of the 20th century on, took steps to strengthen American education. Dwight Eisenhower sent troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to oversee school integration there. The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare became a part of his cabinet shortly after he took office. Toward the end of his tenure, the National Defense Education Act was passed providing resources throughout the country for math and science programs,
Other presidents followed, John F. Kennedy urged research into and funds to support the education of children with disabilities. Under Lyndon Johnson’s leadership the Elementary and Secondary Education Act funded programs for special needs children and low income children. Subsequently, the Head Start initiative funded early childhood programs. Richard Nixon supported the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which ensured civil rights for adults and children with handicaps and created the possibility for the 504 plans that exist today. Gerald Ford made it all explicit – the Education for All Handicapped Children Act made clear that all children were eligible for a free and public education. Under Jimmy Carter, the explicit commitment to education took form through the creation of a separate Department of Education. Under George HW Bush, the Individuals with Disabilities Act specified that children should be educated in the least restrictive environment and the Americans with Disabilities Act ensured that handicapped adults and children had rights equal to those without a handicap.
Bill Clinton signed the Goals 2000, Education America Act which focused on improving the quality of American schools. George W Bush encouraged the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, focusing again on the success of children with handicaps. Barack Obama signed into law the Every Child Succeeds Act focusing on all children who are susceptible to being underserved.
By refusing to confirm Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education, the Senate can help the Department. Without the Department of Education’s national focus, the states with unsuccessful schools will further weaken their schools.
Let your own Senators know that you believe Linda McMahon should not be confirmed – because her history makes her inappropriate for the Education Department, because she will be part of an effort to destroy the Education Department, and because of her policy views opposing assistance for low income students ranging from Title I education programs to meals assistance. Let the members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) know of your opposition as well.
Current Republican members who will still be in the Senate include:
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana who will probably Chair the committee. Try calling his Baton Rouge office (318) 448-7176. I could not find his Washington office.
Rand Paul of Kentucky 202-224-4343
Susan Collins of Maine (202) 224-2523
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska (202)-224-6665
Roger Marshall of Kansas. 202-224-4774
Tommy Tuberville of Alabama 202-224-4124
Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma 202-224-4721
Ted Budd of North Carolina 202-224-3154
Let the Democrats know, too. It is important that Democratic Senators know that people believe Linda McMahon is wrong for the job of Education Secretary and that the Education Department should remain in the Cabinet.
Bernie Sanders of Vermont is the probable Ranking Member 202-224-5141
Patty Murray of Washington 202-224-2621
Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin 202-224-5653
Chris Murphy of Connecticut (The Connecticut Senators supported her, a home town billionaire after all, to head the Small Business Administration for Trump’s first term, but are unlikely to support her for Education – especially if they hear from you and others.) 202-224-4041
Tim Kaine of Virginia. 202-224-4024
Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire. 202-224-3324
Tina Smith of Minnesota 202-224-5641
Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico 202-224-6621
John Hickenlooper of Colorado 202-224-5941
Ed Markey of Massachusetts 202-224-2742
You probably do not need to contact the main advocacy groups for education – the NEA and the AFT, both teacher labor unions. They are already on the case. You might try contacting the National PTA to urge them to oppose Linda McMahon’s appointment. Try 703-518-1200 or info@pta.org
And here is a suggestion from Simon Rosenberg: Contact the White House and ask President Biden to order the FBI to begin background checks into Trump’s nominees immediately and before Trump installs Patel to disable the process.
Here is another thought. Robert Hubbell has organized Trump’s terrible nominations into three categories: 1. Weakening or destroying US law enforcement and intelligence agencies, 2. Weakening or destroying US government health agencies, 3. Destroying the regulation of our institutions, what the Republicans call the administrative state. The Linda McMahon nomination belongs in the third category along with
- the Chris Wright nomination for Secretary of Energy,
- the Brendan Carr nomination to head the FCC,
- the 2025 author Russell Vought to head the Office of Management and Budget, and the volunteers
- Elon Musk and
- Vivek Ramaswamy who could well also benefit from the destruction they wreak. Oppose those nominations, too.
Best of luck. Help keep Linda McMahon far away from the Education Department.
