Linda McMahon was sworn in as the next Secretary of Education on Monday shortly after being confirmed to the post in a full Senate vote.
Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO, was offically sworn in to serve as the next Secretary of Education under President Donald Trump, who seeks to “immediately” close the department during his term.
The Senate confirmed McMahon to head the Department of Education on Monday evening 51-45, along party lines, the final hurdle of her confirmation process.
McMahon was sworn in shortly after the vote and will begin her official duties on Tuesday morning.
“I am deeply grateful to President Trump for his trust in me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Education. I am prepared to lead the Department in this transformational time and embrace the challenge to improve the education system for the more than 100 million children and college students who deserve better,” McMahon said in a statement after being confirmed.
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“Education is the issue that determines our national success and prepares American workers to win the future. Every decision made at the Department will be driven by a commitment to support meaningful learning and empower our most important stakeholders: students, families, and teachers,” McMahon added. “We will empower states and districts to have more say in what is working on the ground for students instead of bureaucratic edicts from Washington, D.C.”
Trump has said he wants to close the Education Department, and McMahon, in a letter to Democratic lawmakers, said she supports his position on the issue.
“President Trump believes that the bureaucracy in Washington should be abolished so that we can return education to the states, where it belongs. I wholeheartedly support and agree with this mission,” McMahon wrote to members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) in February.
McMahon served as the former head of WWE, which she founded with her husband, Vince McMahon.
The former WWE mogul launched two separate Senate bids in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012 but lost both general elections to Democratic nominees.
The secretary also served as the administrator of the Small Business Association (SBA) during Trump’s first term.
