Education Secretary Linda McMahon Defends Trump Administration’s 2027 Education Budget

On Tuesday, Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended the Trump administration’s FY 2027 education budget before the Senate Commerce Committee. The plan cuts the department’s budget by $2.3 billion to $76.5 billion, shifts IDEA oversight to Labor and HHS, proposes a 35 percent OCR reduction, and seeks to reform or eliminate the $1.2 billion TRIO program.

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The 2020 executive order signed by President Donald Trump ordered the department’s closure, and the administration has since dismissed over half of OCR’s staff and closed seven regional offices. The hearing featured Secretary McMahon and senators Patty Murray, Chris Murphy, Tammy Baldwin, Jeanne Shaheen, John Kennedy, Shelley Capito and Shelley Moore Capito.

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The budget retains $16 billion for IDEA, a $539 million increase, while cutting OCR by $49 million (35 percent). TRIO’s $1.2 billion budget, serving 800,000 low-income students, faces possible elimination. Pell Grants gain $10 billion, reaching $33 billion. Oversight of the $1.7 trillion student-loan portfolio moves to Treasury, amid a backlog of 88,000 PSLF applications.

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McMahon said the department has scrutinized every taxpayer dollar to ensure clear pathways to student success and that shifting authority to states will not sacrifice essential programs. She rejected the OCR cut and expressed openness to adjust it. Republican senators praised the Pell Grant boost and school-choice focus.

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Democratic senators warned that moving special-education oversight to Health and Human Services reframes disabilities as health issues and undermines student guarantees. They condemned the 35 percent OCR cut as eroding civil-rights enforcement and argued that eliminating TRIO would deprive low-income students of essential college-readiness support. They also highlighted prolonged PSLF processing delays.

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McMahon said the final agency for special-education oversight is undecided, yet the budget earmarks Labor and HHS. The administration denies an OCR cut, while the budget lists a $49 million reduction. Allocation details for the $10 billion Pell increase are absent.

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• “We've been clear. Shifting authority back to the states will not come at the expense of essential federal programs,” — Linda McMahon, U.S. Education Secretary

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• “ "Moving [special education] out of the department is not only undermining that," Murray said, "but it's a direct message to them that their health is more important than their education.” — Sen. Patty Murray, Democrat, Washington

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• “My staff tells me that it's often nine months to a year before my constituents get a substantive response,” — Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat, New Hampshire

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• “Pell is critical to help provide financial access to postsecondary education for our students in West Virginia and across the nation who need it most,” — Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, Republican, West Virginia

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The proposal now heads to the full Senate for debate. A Treasury rule on PSLF slated for July could restrict eligible employers, and Congress will review TRIO reforms and OCR funding before final vote.

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