June 04, 2025

Warren Sets Meeting with Secretary McMahon, Sends 60+ Questions on Impact of Dismantling the Department of Education to Be Answered Ahead of Meeting

Warren, McMahon meeting scheduled for June 10th

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced a meeting with Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on June 10, 2025. In addition to the meeting announcement, Senator Warren sent Secretary McMahon a letter containing 66 questions she would like McMahon to address about her tenure in advance of the meeting.

Last month, Senator Warren invited Secretary McMahon to a public forum Warren held on May 14, 2025, on higher education affordability. Secretary McMahon refused the invitation in a May 12 letter and instead requested a meeting with Senator Warren, which has been scheduled for June 10, 2025.

In advance of the meeting, Senator Warren rebutted eight false or misleading statements made in Secretary McMahon’s May 12 letter and requested additional information to better understand how her efforts to dismantle the Department of Education are affecting the American people.

“As the witnesses at my forum highlighted, this is not about politics—it is about putting the needs of working- and middle-class families trying to afford postsecondary education above the interests of billionaires,” said Senator Warren.

Secretary McMahon’s May 12 letter severely downplayed the destructive impacts of her policies on students, families, and borrowers. Senator Warren’s response described how — contrary to Secretary McMahon’s claims — McMahon’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education are already raising costs for American families, making the federal student aid system far less efficient, and preventing the Department from cracking down on contractors and for-profit colleges that misuse federal funding while exploiting students and borrowers.

To inform their upcoming meeting, Senator Warren asked Secretary McMahon about the Department of Education’s activities across a range of areas, including:

The impacts of mass layoffs at the Department of Education;
Accountability for for-profit colleges
Student loan repayment and forbearances;
Borrowers in default;
McMahon’s plans to transfer the Department of Education’s responsibilities to other departments;
Customer service for students and borrowers;
Access to student aid; and
Access to debt relief.

“Instead of continuing to avoid accountability for your policies, I urge you to listen to the voices of students, borrowers, and families around the country and stop giving DOGE and Donald Trump a blank check to destroy American public education,” wrote Senator Warren.

Senator Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign in a coordinated effort to fight back against President Trump’s attempts to abolish the Department of Education:

On May 20, 2025, Senator Warren and 27 other senators pushed for full funding for the Office of Federal Student Aid.
On May 14, 2025, Senator Warren led a Senate forum entitled “Stealing the American Dream: How Trump and Republicans Are Raising Education Costs for Families,” highlighting the consequences of Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education (ED) and President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” for working- and middle-class students and borrowers.
On May 13, 2025, Senator Warren agreed to meet with Education Secretary Linda McMahon and promised to bring questions and stories from Americans across the country to highlight how the Trump administration’s attacks on education are hurting American families.
On May 6, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren highlighted the consequences of President Trump and Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education for American families in a Senate forum.
On April 24, 2025, Senator Warren launched a new investigation into the harms of President Trump’s attacks on the Department of Education, seeking information on the impact of the Trump administration’s actions from the members of twelve leading organizations representing schools, parents, teachers, students, borrowers, and researchers.
On April 10, 2025, following a request led by Senator Warren, the Department of Education’s Acting Inspector General agreed to open an investigation into the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
On April 2, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Mazie Hirono, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s proposed plan to replace the Department of Education’s federal student aid call centers with generative artificial intelligence chatbots.
On April 2, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign to fight back against the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) and highlight the consequences for every student and public school in America.
On March 27, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter to Acting Department of Education Inspector General (IG) René Rocque requesting that the IG conduct an investigation of the Trump Administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
On March 20, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders led a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to slash the capacity of Federal Student Aid to handle student aid complaints.
On February 24, 2025, in a response to Senator Warren, Secretary McMahon gave her first public admission that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plans to abolish the Department of Education.
On February 11, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim sent Linda McMahon, Secretary-Designate for the U.S. Department of Education, a 12-page letter with 65 questions on McMahon's policy views in advance of her nomination hearing.

###