Months before she was appointed to as Donald Trump's pick to be Education Secretary, Linda McMahon spoke at the 2024 RNC in support of his campaign. McMahon served as administrator of the Small Business Administration under Trump's first term from 2017 to 2019. She served as chair of the board for the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank founded by Trump aides in 2021 to promote his GOP priorities. Trump has vowed to close the department and redistribute most services to state-level education officials. "We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort," Trump said in a statement. The Education Department provides some funding for public schools, administers federal student aid programs and collects data on US education.