CT's Linda McMahon confirmed as Trump education secretary

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

72% : "President Trump pledged to make American education the best in the world, return education to the states where it belongs, and free American students from the education bureaucracy through school choice I intend to make good on that promise," she said.
59% : Federal funds to local districts are primarily distributed through title grants, which target districts that are historically under-resourced with the greatest concentrations of high-needs students, including those who qualify for free and reduced lunch, which is known as Title I. Lawmakers wanted to know how such programs may change under Trump's plans to overhaul the Education Department, which has been spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk and his team with the new Department of Government Efficiency.
56% : It is also responsible for collecting national, statewide and local data for research and overseeing protections for diverse student groups like students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
53% : Trump has repeatedly said he wants to shut down the Education Department and "move education back to the states where it belongs" -- something he mentioned again at his first Cabinet meeting at the White House last week, which McMahon attended.
52% : While education is largely a state and local issue, the Department of Education is tasked with providing federal assistance and funding to schools.
46% : But Murphy has argued that the administration can still try to "functionally dismantle the agency" by firing most of the employees, similar to efforts to gut the United States Agency for International Development and only keep a small number of employees.
46% : She most recently served as the co-chair of Trump's transition team and had been rumored to be under consideration to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce before Trump nominated her for the Education Department.
46% : She faced a flurry of questions about what would happen to Title I funding for schools with higher concentrations of low-income students, Pell Grants that provide student aid to attend college and special education programs that fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
44% : McMahon said defunding certain programs that give a boost to low-income students and families like Title I funding for K-12 public schools and Pell Grants for aid to attend college "is not the goal.
41% : " But McMahon testified she will work alongside Congress "to reorient the department" and suggested that certain programs, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, could instead be housed in other agencies that do not oversee education matters, like the U.S. Health and Human Services department, which is now led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. During the hearing, Murphy, who sits on the HELP Committee, used his time to press McMahon on Trump's executive order to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and programs.

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