Trump’s education pick: schools may lose funds for teaching Black history

Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Education, refused to say in her Feb. 13 Senate confirmation hearing if public schools could be defunded for teaching Black history.

McMahon is the billionaire co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment. She served as head of the Small Business Administration in Trump’s first term. Trump nominated her to be Secretary of Education on Nov. 19.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) asked McMahon if a Trump executive order banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in education would strip funding from schools that teach African American history courses.

“I’m not quite certain,” McMahon said. “I’d like to look into it further and get back to you on that.”

Murphy asked McMahon if she was saying that there was a possibility of schools losing funding for teaching such courses.

“That’s not what I’m saying,” McMahon said. “I’m saying I’d like to take a look at these programs and fully understand the breadth of the executive order and get back to you on that.”

McMahon gave a similar response when Murphy asked if schools could lose funding for having student groups centered around ethnic identity. 

Murphy said McMahon’s evasiveness was “chilling.”

Trump has signed multiple executive orders banning DEI programs in government, education, and the private sector. These orders are broad in scope and do not define what DEI is. This has led to mass confusion at schools, universities, and businesses about how to comply with the order.

The federal government provides about 10% of public school funding in the U.S. Most of these funds go toward helping low-income students and students with disabilities. 

Most U.S. public schools teach some form of Black history. Twelve states mandate Black history as a part of the public school curriculum.

McMahon has come under fire for her lack of education experience. She served one year on Connecticut’s state Board of Education from 2009 to 2010, but was forced to resign when it was discovered she lied about having a bachelor’s degree in education.

McMahon and her husband, Vince, contributed $15 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign.