At Spotlight Forum, Warren Slams Trump, McMahon’s Attacks on Public Education, Invites Americans to Share Stories for Meeting with McMahon
Warren: “At a time when college costs are already too high—when the American Dream is out of reach for too many—President Trump and Congressional Republicans are making it harder for working-class families to get ahead.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (BHUA), delivered opening remarks at a spotlight forum entitled “Stealing the American Dream: How Trump and Republicans Are Raising Education Costs for Families.”
Senator Warren, in her opening statement, slammed President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless actions to dismantle the Department of Education, which will make it harder and more expensive for working- and middle-class kids to receive an education. She also highlighted how Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” will slash $351 billion in education funding, harming students and borrowers to pay for tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations.
Senator Warren invited Education Secretary Linda McMahon to testify at today’s hearing to defend the Trump administration’s actions to dismantle public education, including her decision to take Social Security benefits away from seniors with defaulted student loan debt. Secretary McMahon declined Senator Warren’s invitation and asked to meet with Senator Warren instead. Senator Warren closed by asking Americans to share their stories and questions for her to bring to her meeting with Secretary McMahon.
Opening Statement
Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Spotlight Forum: Stealing the American Dream: How Trump and Republicans Are Raising Education Costs for Families.
May 14, 2025
As Prepared for Delivery
Senator Elizabeth Warren: Last month, in the face of an unprecedented attack on public education led by co-Presidents Donald Trump and Elon Musk, I launched the Save Our Schools campaign.
Trump, Musk, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon are determined to make it harder and more expensive for working- and middle-class kids to get an education. Republicans in Congress are piling on as well.
So let me be clear: I will fight for public education and for all the kids, parents, teachers, grandparents and more who want better lives for themselves and the people they love.
That’s why I’m holding today’s forum called “Stealing the American Dream: How Trump and Republicans Are Raising Education Costs for Families.”
At a time when college costs are already too high—when the American Dream is out of reach for too many—President Trump and Congressional Republicans are making it harder for working-class families to get ahead.
First, they want to eliminate the Department of Education. That’s the agency that gives millions of students a chance to go to college when their families can’t just write a check for the sticker price. It’s also the agency charged with protecting students and borrowers from bad actors like shady student loan servicers and predatory for-profit colleges.
To be clear, the money we invest in post-high school education isn’t charity. This is an investment in our people so they can get good jobs, start businesses, and help grow our economy.
But Donald Trump has already fired half of the federal workers who help make these investments. He’s also signed an executive order to try to get rid of the Education Department altogether. And to top it off, he’s trying to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, taking another cop off the beat for student loan borrowers.
And if you thought we could count on Republicans in Congress to stop this madness, think again. Nope. They are making things worse—much worse.
Last month, House Republicans advanced a bill to make higher education even more expensive for American families. Why? So they can pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
Their bill would increase monthly student loan payments.
It would trap borrowers with student loan debt for even longer.
It would make it harder to get Pell Grants.
It would end rules that protect students from bad schools and greedy for-profit colleges that rip them off.
Who benefits from putting all these costs on people whose only sin is to try to get an education? Only President Trump’s billionaire and millionaire friends. They want to cut these education investments and use the money to stuff their pockets with tax giveaways.
Adding insult to injury? Now, they’re going after people’s Social Security checks too. We’ve already seen the Trump Administration work to gut Social Security, which Elon Musk calls a Ponzi scheme. President Trump has let DOGE run rampant at the Social Security Administration, laying off employees and closing field offices.
Last month, the Trump Administration announced the next phase in their plans. They are getting ready to hold back Social Security checks from student loan borrowers that are in default on decades-old student loans. Almost half a million seniors could lose their Social Security benefits.
So, I want to thank our witnesses for joining us today and helping to educate us on how these Trump policies would hurt American families.
And I want to point out who is not here: the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon. I invited her to join today because she has a lot to answer for. The questions are pretty straightforward:
Why is the Secretary of Education jacking up costs for middle-class kids trying to go to college?
Why is the Secretary of Education firing the staff who protect students from scammers?
Why is the Secretary of Education taking away Social Security benefits from tens of thousands of seniors with student debt?
Secretary McMahon refused to answer those questions in front of the American people. Instead, she asked for a meeting. I’m happy to sit down with her. But if Secretary McMahon won’t face parents, teachers, and students who have been hurt by her reckless actions, I’m bringing their stories straight to her. So, today I’m asking everyone to share their stories. Please send them to our Save Our Schools campaign, because there is power in sharing our stories and there is power in fighting back. That is why we are here today.
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