The Senate has voted to confirm former wrestling executive Linda McMahon as U.S. Education Secretary.
The Associated Press reports that McMahon has been appointed to lead a department that President Donald Trump has vilified and vowed to dismantle.
The Senate voted to confirm McMahon 51-45.
McMahon, 76, is a billionaire and former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. She spent a year on Connecticut’s state board of education and is a longtime trustee at Sacred Heart University but otherwise has little traditional education leadership.
McMahon’s supporters see her as an experienced executive who will reform a department that Republicans say has failed to improve American education. Opponents say she’s unqualified and fear her budget cuts will be felt by students nationwide.
Created by Congress in 1979, the Education Department's primary role is to disburse money to the nation’s schools and colleges. It sends billions of dollars a year to K-12 schools and oversees a $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio.
McMahon left the WWE in 2009 to launch a political career, running unsuccessfully twice for the U.S. Senate. She has given millions of dollars to Trump’s campaigns and served as leader of the Small Business Administration during his first term.
