Shortly after being sworn in as education secretary Monday, Linda McMahon issued a memo outlining the Education Department’s “final mission.”
Though she never directly mentions abolishing or dismantling the department, she makes clear that she intends to follow the instruction President Trump issued when he nominated her: that she “put herself out of a job.”
“Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the President they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education—a momentous final mission—quickly and responsibly,” she writes.
She also vows to remove “red tape” and “bureaucratic barriers” so parents can choose what’s best for their children, and uses the phrase “final mission” five times in a roughly 850-word statement.
The memo outlines three convictions:
- Parents are the primary decision-makers in their children’s education.
- Taxpayer-funded education should refocus on meaningful learning in math, reading, science and history—not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology.
- Postsecondary education should be a path to a well-paying career aligned with workforce needs.
“We must start thinking about our final mission at the department as an overhaul—a last chance to restore the culture of liberty and excellence that made American education great,” she writes. “Changing the status quo can be daunting. But every staff member of this Department should be enthusiastic about any change that will benefit students.”
“This is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students. I hope you will join me in ensuring that when our final mission is complete, we will all be able to say that we left American education freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future,” it concludes.
