Education Secretary Linda McMahon answers questions as House lawmakers examine the direction and priorities of the Department of Education.

Education Department Secretary Linda McMahon declared on Thursday that Americans elected President Donald Trump "to sunset" the "education bureaucracy," asserting that the administration is enacting "education renewal."

"Americans reelected President Trump with a clear mandate to sunset a 46-year-old, $3-trillion dollar, failed education bureaucracy in D.C. and return authority to where it belongs to parents, teachers and local leaders," she said during her opening statement before the House Committee on Education and Workforce on Thursday.

"Today I can confidently attest that we are delivering on the vision of educational renewal that for decades many promised, but none delivered," she added.

Linda McMahon, US education secretary, during a "Saving College Sports" roundtable in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The secretary is testifying before the House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing titled, "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education."

"We've been clear: Shifting authority back to the states will not come at the expense of essential federal support and programs, much of which predate the department itself," she said.

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McMahon added that when President Trump's "administration makes promises, we keep them. And with your partnership, we will unleash momentous opportunity for every child to realize their God-given potential."

"The most important thing we can do for our children is to make sure they can read and do math. We have failed them. When you have only 30%, or even a little less, of eighth graders and fourth graders that can read at proficient level, we are failing our students, and we need to change that," McMahon said.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

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