Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Linda McMahon as education secretary, putting the former pro-wrestling mogul at the helm of a department Trump has proposed abolishing. "For the past four years, as the Chair of the Board at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), Linda has been a fierce advocate for Parents’ Rights, working hard at both AFPI and America First Works (AFW) to achieve Universal School Choice in 12 States, giving children the opportunity to receive an excellent education, regardless of zip code or income," Trump said in a statement.
Who is Linda McMahon?
Trump said she will fight "tirelessly" to expand universal school choice across the US.
McMahon, who had been in the running for commerce secretary, headed up the Small Business Administration in Trump's first administration and was a major donor and early supporter of the Republican president-elect when he first ran for the White House almost a decade ago.
The co-founder and former CEO of the WWE professional wrestling franchise, she resigned from the SBA in 2019 to lead the pro-Trump spending group America First Action. She also chairs the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-friendly think tank. Trump tapped her to co-lead a transition team formed to help vet personnel and draft policy ahead of the November 5 election.
McMahon had been in the mix to head the Commerce Department, but Trump on Tuesday instead chose her transition team co-leader - Cantor Fitzgerald Chief Executive Howard Lutnick - for that post. Now she will lead an agency Trump said on the campaign trail that he would abolish, although he likely lacks the authority to do it without congressional approval.
Trump has called for dismantling the Education Department
Trump has called for dismantling the department altogether — a cumbersome task that likely would require action from Congress. The agency's main role is financial. Annually, it distributes billions in federal money to colleges and schools and manages the federal student loan portfolio. Closing the department would mean redistributing each of those duties to another agency. The Education Department also plays an important regulatory role in services for students, ranging from those with disabilities to low-income and homeless kids.
Indeed, federal education money is central to Trump's plans for colleges and schools. Trump has vowed to cut off federal money for schools and colleges that push "critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content" and to reward states and schools that end teacher tenure and enact universal school choice programs.
(With inputs from agency)
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