The Senate has voted to confirm Linda McMahon, President Trump's pick to lead the Department of Education, by a six-vote margin.
McMahon, a former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) executive, was confirmed along party lines in a 51-45 vote.
Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) did not vote.
“Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Education focused on everything but student success,” Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said in a statement following the vote. “We need a strong leader at the Department who will get our education system back on track. Secretary McMahon is the right person for the job.”
Trump has tasked McMahon with fixing the Department of Education, which has long faced criticism over low test scores and the creeping influence of left-wing ideology in public schooling.
The president has quipped that he wants McMahon to put herself out of a job, although she has phrased her mission in more delicate terms.
Trump has called for the $268 billion Department to be shuttered "immediately," citing poor academic performance in the U.S.
But McMahon deferred to Congress during her confirmation hearing in February, when she promised to leave intact certain financial aid programs administered by the Department, including Title I and Pell Grants.
McMahon will be tasked with enforcing Trump's executive orders on ending left-wing indoctrination in schools. Trump has pledged to cut federal funds to institutions that promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and transgender ideology.
Following her confirmation, McMahon laid out three guiding principles for the "historic overhaul" of the agency. She pledged to put parents first, rein in "radical anti-American ideology" and improve the quality of post-secondary education to help students find jobs.
"Parents are the primary decision makers in their children’s education," McMahon wrote in a statement.
"Taxpayer-funded education should refocus on meaningful learning in math, reading, science, and history—not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology."
"Postsecondary education should be a path to a well-paying career aligned with workforce needs," she added.
McMahon also warned the coming effort to slash "bureaucratic bloat" will "profoundly impact staff, budgets, and agency operations here at the Department."
The president is expected to sign an executive order directing Congress to repeal the Department, which was written into law under President Jimmy Carter.
