WASHINGTON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed businesswoman Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education, a federal agency that President Donald Trump has vowed to dismantle.
The upper chamber voted 51-45 to approve the nomination.
"Americans believe in public education," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said before the confirmation vote. "They don't want to see the Department of Education abolished. If the Trump administration follows through on cuts to education, schools will lose billions in funding."
Trump had previously claimed that he wanted to close the Education Department, stating that he intended to return the responsibility for education to the states.
On Feb. 12, Trump told reporters at the White House that "I'd like it to be closed immediately," calling the Education Department "a big con job."
The White House has been clear that it intends to dismantle the department and that it will be McMahon's job to oversee that effort, said National Public Radio.
McMahon, 76, is known for her work as the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, which she helped build into a global entertainment empire. She has a limited background in education, though she was a member of Connecticut's State Board of Education for about a year. ■
