NAACP's Legal Defense Fund calls on Congress to reject McMahon for Education Department

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is pressing its call for the Senate to reject Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education under the Trump administration.

In a letter to senators, the LDF said McMahon’s “troubling words, actions, and otherwise limited experience” places more than 50 million students at risk.

“If the Senate confirms Ms. McMahon as Education Secretary, she will undoubtedly undermine federal funding in public school education and key civil rights protections for millions of students,” the letter reads. “Her record indicates that she lacks the necessary experience to lead a department that is charged with enforcing federal civil rights protections for Black students, other students of color, students who identify as LGBTQ, low-income students, and students with disabilities.”

The organization, which successfully litigated the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation case, previously expressed its disapproval of McMahon for the position, calling on President Trump in November to withdraw her nomination. The group has argued her appointment would lead to the dismantling of programs that disproportionately impact Black students.

“Ms. McMahon supports reduced federal oversight that leaves it up to states to enact and enforce policies that could undermine civil rights protections and harm critical federal programs upon which so many of our Black communities need,” Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel for the LDF, said in a statement Tuesday.

Nelson also pointed to McMahon’s role in co-founding the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute, which has called for an end to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and supported funneling money into school voucher programs.

“This is especially concerning in light of our understanding of recent cuts to essential federal education employees and programs, which severely obstruct the Department’s ability to fulfill its mission of enforcing our nation’s education and civil rights laws and providing all students with equal educational opportunities,” Nelson said.

During her confirmation hearing last week, McMahon said she would preserve Title I money for low-income schools, Pell grants for low-income college students and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

However, she hedged somewhat when Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.) asked her to explain how the president’s executive order to dismantle DEI programs would affect schools.

McMahon said events celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. would be allowed, but she was unsure about African American history classes.

“I’m not quite certain,” she admitted. “I’d like to look into it further.”

A majority of Republicans appeared to back McMahon at her confirmation hearing, but the LDF argued it is in the country’s “best interest” for the Senate to reject her confirmation.

“Simply put, our students deserve better. America deserves better,” Nelson said.

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