- Education Secretary Linda McMahon had to talk over shouts from protesters on Monday.
- McMahon said the 15% budget reduction for the Department of Education is not a "cut."
- Democratic governors questioned the administration's approach to federal student aid.
SANTA FE, N.M. — U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon faced down crowds of angry protesters and a panel of disgruntled Democratic governors during her appearance at the Western Governors Association annual conference on Monday.
Constant chanting could be heard coming through a curtained glass wall behind the panelists, as McMahon defended the Trump administration’s measures to shrink the Department of Education.
In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States.”
While the ability for a president to dismantle a congressionally approved agency is still being litigated, the Trump administration published their Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal that included at least a 15% funding cut for the department.
Education secretary defends cuts
However, McMahon disputed on Monday the characterization that a cut to her department was a cut to education. Responding to a handful of western governors, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, McMahon framed the move as an effort to improve efficiency and outcomes for American students.
“Neither (Trump) nor I viewed this task of reducing the bureaucracy as a cut to education,” McMahon said. “The department oversees many federally funded programs, but it does not educate a single student.”
The funding totals for the department’s biggest programs — including Title I funds for low-income neighborhoods and IDEA grants for disabilities — will remain unchanged from past years, McMahon said.
And much of the remaining money, previously administered by the department for rural schools, homeless students and literacy programs, will be sent directly to the states as block grants.
Praising states like Utah that have passed school choice reforms, McMahon said that giving states maximum control over education dollars will improve the quality of instruction and limit culture war influences.
“We are replacing ideological indoctrination and misguided teaching practices with tried and true pedagogy in the classroom,” McMahon said. “Our schools must focus on reading, writing, math and history, not divisive theories or programs that distract from learning.”
Panelist pushback
But McMahon’s initiatives were met with little enthusiasm from the event’s Democratic lawmakers: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado.
The two seemed particularly skeptical of the administration’s handling of student loans. After a five-year pause, the administration resumed federal student loan collections earlier this year.
The administration has also proposed capping loan amounts, eliminating interest-free options and making universities pay for a share of unpaid student loan debt.
As chair of the National Governors Association, Polis has spearheaded a “Let’s Get Ready” initiative focused on policies to better prepare students to contribute to the economy.
“Incentives are so powerful in education,” Polis said. “Federal student aid ... drives a lot of behavior out there so I encourage you to take a thoughtful look at that.”
Grisham emphasized how federal aid has helped a “poor state” like New Mexico buck the national trend on first-time college enrollment.
The panel discussion remained civil even as attendees commented on the shouts coming from outside the room. Grisham acknowledged the distraction but said it was a positive reflection of New Mexicans.
“So I apologize for the noise; don’t apologize for community engagement,” Grisham said.