Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., told Linda McMahon on Thursday that her confirmation hearing felt “surreal,” given the fact that President Donald Trump intends to eliminate the Department of Education, which he has tapped McMahon to head.
“It’s almost like we’re being subjected to a very elegant gas lighting here,” Hassan said. “Sen. Hawley just asked you, and you talked about the need to enforce protections for Jewish students on college campuses, but the very department where the enforcement would take place is the Department of Education, and he wants to eliminate it.”
WATCH: What Linda McMahon is likely to prioritize as education secretary under Trump
McMahon appeared before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Watch Hassan’s full questioning of McMahon below.
She is a former pro-wrestling executive who led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term. She has little background in education policy, serving about a year on the Connecticut State Board of Education.
The Trump administration, along with efficiency czar Musk, is already moving forward with plans to dismantle the Department of Education, which McMahon would lead if confirmed.
