In response to Linda McMahon dodging questions about Donald Trump’s devastating budget cuts, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Donald Trump sent his billionaire puppet Linda McMahon to Capitol Hill to defend his plans to gut public education — and she still owes answers to 50 million public school students and their parents. Trump’s budget calls for billions in public education cuts to fund tax handouts for the ultra-wealthy. For Trump and McMahon, billionaires come first and students are last.”

NEW: Linda McMahon repeatedly dodged questions from the House Education and Workforce Committee on Donald Trump and Republicans’ proposed sweeping budget cuts to the Department of Education. 

Rep. Bobby Scott: “In the pending reconciliation bill, that’s the one that has tax breaks for the wealthy and cuts in health care and Medicaid. CBO says at least 13 million people will lose their insurance. … SNAP benefit cuts and access to college with cuts in student loans and Pell Grants. Does the 2026 budget cut Pell and work study on top of those cuts?”

Linda McMahon: *Doesn’t answer question*

Rep. Greg Casar: “The administration that you are a part of is pushing for a massive tax break for billionaires paid for by massive cuts to health care and food assistance for everyday Americans, including to the children that you’re charged with educating. … So you think that under this proposal you will not like the other billionaires get millions or tens of millions of dollars in tax benefit?” 

McMahon: *Doesn’t answer question*

Rep. Scott: “The department’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal would make it more difficult for students to enroll in and afford a college education by proposing reductions in funding to need-based grants such as Pell and work study. … Regrettably, this proposed budget does not signal a path of success for America’s students and families.”

Trump’s budget guts essential resources for students and educators, including Pell Grants and nearly $400 million for grants that fund preschool and teacher development. 

Washington Post: “Targeting the Education Department, the president again put forward a roughly $12 billion cut, seeking to eliminate dozens of programs while unveiling new changes to Pell grants, which help low-income students pay for college.”

Washington Post: “Chief among the provisions in the bill is a plan to increase the number of credits, from 12 to 15 per semester, required for students to receive a maximum Pell Grant. That change would result in more than half of Pell recipients receiving smaller grants, according to the CBO. About 10 percent of recipients would completely lose access to the Pell Grant if Republicans advance plans to deny eligibility to anyone taking fewer than six credit hours, the agency said.”

K-12 Dive: “[T]he White House said it wants to eliminate $315 million for Preschool Development grants …

“Another $77 million is recommended for cuts to Teacher Quality Partnerships.”

Forbes: “The 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Education has been released, and it follows through on President Donald Trump’s promise of deep cuts for a department marked for elimination. … 

“The Federal TRIO Program, a program aimed at providing college outreach and support to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, is eliminated. The Teacher Quality Partnership, aimed at boosting the teacher pipeline and adding diversity to the teacher pool, is also eliminated.”

Education Week: “Meanwhile, the Institute for Education Sciences, the department’s research arm, would see two-thirds of its budget disappear, dropping to $261.3 million from $793.1 million. It would retain reduced funding for its assessment activities—chiefly, the National Assessment of Educational Progress—but lose most of its funding that supports education research.”

Forbes: “[T]he funding for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the test that measures how U.S. students are doing, is still there, albeit reduced from $193 million to $137 million.”

REMINDER: Lower-income and rural students are already paying the price after Trump dismantled the Department of Education.

NPR: “Education Dept. cuts could hurt low-income schools.” … 

“[T]oday, nearly all the statisticians and data experts who help get [certain federal education grants] to schools could be out of a job.

“The action essentially tells U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps toward eliminating the department to the maximum extent possible … The National Center for Education Statistics, the agency that will have all but three staff workers eliminated, works on ‘formula grants.’ States and districts primarily decide what to do with these funds. For example, Title I and rural school grants could be used to pay for school staff salaries, transportation costs, technology and extra tutoring.”

PBS: “Nationwide, more than 568,000 low-income students were enrolled in the GEAR UP program in the 2022-23 school year, according to the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships. But under the Trump administration’s 2026 proposed budget for the Department of Education, this program would be eliminated. …

“Some workers who have been fired outright or have been placed on administrative leave say the cuts make it harder to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent on education in the ways Congress intended and will make it harder for local communities and states to support students or plan for the future.

“Education research scientist Joseph Murphy was on a team of six people that tracked data tied to federal grants designed to help the nation’s students and communities with the highest needs. … Murphy sees the elimination of his team as ‘a complete purge of anything data-related.’”