McMahon hijacks House Democrats' presser after closed-door meeting outside Department of Education
Education Secretary Linda McMahon interrupted a press conference by House Democrats outside the Department of Education to give an impromptu statement after they met in a closed-door meeting earlier Wednesday.
With about a minute's notice, the secretary's team told some attendees that McMahon would be making a statement.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., was speaking at the podium as the secretary appeared at the press conference.
"We are extraordinarily grateful that the secretary gave us the space to have these conversations, but with all due respect, madam, I think my biggest concern is that the states will not be able to protect the programs and services that you would like to devolve with them," she said before ceding the microphone, noting that the mood during the meeting was "collegial."
Then, the secretary stepped to the podium in front of the group of Democratic lawmakers, who had met with her in her office for about an hour.
"I just want to express my gratitude to all of these folks who came today so we can have an open discussion about what I believe is one of the most important things that we can have a discussion on or action on in our country, and that is the education of our young people," McMahon said upon taking the podium.
"This is not a partisan issue. This is about the children of America and its next generation after that, and if we want to have our leaders and if we want to have that next group of engineers and doctors and lawyers and plumbers and electricians and HV/AC operators, then we need to focus on how they can best have their education," she added.
"And I believe, and I know the president believes as well, the best education is that that is closest to the child where teachers and parents, local superintendents, working together and local school boards to develop the curriculum for those students is the best way that it can happen," she said.
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., who spearheaded the effort to meet with McMahon, and several reporters peppered the secretary with questions.
"When are you going to shut down this building?" Takano asked.
"Well, we've had our discussions already, so thank you all very, very much for coming," McMahon replied.
She declined to answer any further questions before exiting the presser.
Takano and a coalition of lawmakers had requested the meeting after the secretary was sworn into office last month.
"She came down here to upstage the news press availability, trying to give the impression that she's trying a different approach -- that she's actually meeting with members of Congress," Takano told ABC News after the event.
Later Wednesday, McMahon posted on X about the meeting.
"This morning, I hosted a meeting with House Democrats to hear their concerns," she said. "Our collective goal should be to support students, not the broken bureaucracy."
The meeting comes after weeks of confusion in Washington as the Department of Education slashed nearly half its workforce and lawmakers have been demanding answers from the Trump administration.
Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., Don Beyer, D-Va., and Greg Casar, D-Texas, also attended the meeting..
Chaos ensued outside the agency the last time Democrats tried to meet with department officials as Takano and around two dozen lawmakers were rejected access inside the building.
This time they met with McMahon amid the administration's attempt to dismantle and spearhead the historic overhaul of the department as directed by President Donald Trump.
The members said McMahon took the right step in meeting with them and that she assured them she would work with Congress to move statutory functions to other agencies and follow federal law. However, Wilson said McMahon indicated she is following the president's directive in moving the student loan portfolio for more than 40 million people to the Small Business Administration.
McMahon also told the Democratic lawmakers in the meeting that there will be additional workforce cuts at the department, Takano said.
Meanwhile, the meeting seemed to leave many with unanswered questions, and after McMahon left the podium, Stanbury said the secretary has no plans that she shared with them.
Casar, the Congressional Progressive Caucus chairman, said he grew frustrated and even more alarmed during the meeting because he suggested McMahon's mission will gut public schools.
"What she tried to say, in the nicest of terms, is that she wants to get rid of the guardrails and protections for all of our kids and instead say, No, we can have it set up so that states can give money to the private schools that we like and take away money from the public schools that we may not like," Casar said.
Wilson, a senior member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, passionately defended public education.
"For the Department of Education to be dismantled, it is going to bring a shock to this nation," said Wilson, a former principal and lifelong educator. "Schools are the bedrock of this nation. When schools are working, our country is moving."
