Secretary of Education Linda McMahon addressed federal funding and “education micromanagement” at a White House Press Briefing on Thursday.

“We’re not ending federal support for education,” McMahon said. “We’re ending education micromanagement. The Department of Education does not educate a single student.”

At Thursday’s press briefing, McMahon further clarified the misconception currently held by many Democratic lawmakers — including Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz — that President Trump plans to defund education. McMahon reiterated that the Trump administration is focused on ending the bureaucratic, non-educational agency that has failed to improve national reading or math scores for decades.

Walz had posted to X on Tuesday, “Gutting the Department of Education and defunding our public schools threatens that promise for every child in the nation.”

McMahon initially responded to Walz with a post of her own, writing, “The good news for you, Governor, is that federal funding for education CONTINUES to flow.”

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also defended the administration’s plan to close the Department of Education, pointing out the recent furlough of 90% of the agency’s staff as proof that the department is unnecessary.

“The Department of Education furloughed 90% of its staff, and it did not affect schools whatsoever,” said Leavitt.

With only 10% of its staff still working, institutions from preschool to college remained fully open and all teachers received their paychecks, making “it painfully obvious that American families do not need a Department of Education.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon joined Leavitt at the podium to reinforce the message.

“The Department of Education does not educate a single student,” said McMahon.

She rejected claims that Trump wants to “defund education,” clarifying that the administration’s goal is to return control of schools to the states — not eliminate education itself.

The Department of Education was established by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. McMahon argued that after decades of federal oversight, students have yet to see the benefits.

“Since the 1970s, math and reading scores are down in public schools,” said McMahon. “It’s clear throwing money at a broken system does not work.”

McMahon cited troubling statistics: Only 3 out of 10 students can read proficiently at the third-grade level, college students are collectively $1.7 trillion in debt, and about half of college graduates work in fields unrelated to their expensive degrees.

In an effort to reset American education, McMahon launched a 50-state tour to meet with students, teachers, parents, and community leaders to identify what’s working on the ground.

Her conclusion so far: “The best education comes from those closest to the student. Education is local, and it should be overseen locally.” She added that President Trump shares this view and campaigned on returning control of education to the states.

While McMahon is working to shrink the Department of Education, former President Joe Biden’s Education Secretary sought to expand it.

Biden’s Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona requested $82.4 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education, reflecting a 4% increase from the previous year.

Unlike Cardona, McMahon did not request a budget increase. Instead, she focused on tightening the department’s operations, reporting earlier this year that the department uncovered nearly $90 million in misused taxpayer dollars.

The Trump administration anticipates further savings from reducing redundancies by streamlining agency administration and shifting crucial Department of Education responsibilities to other federal agencies.

Ultimately, McMahon hopes that through this plan, “America’s next generation will look back on the work we’ve carried out [and be] thankful for an education system that prioritizes students over bureaucracy.”

Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum cornered Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) over a video he made with a number of other elected Democrats — most of whom had either served in the military or as part of the intelligence community — encouraging members of the military to refuse obedience to “unlawful orders.”

The implication, clearly, was that President Donald Trump either had already issued such an order or was likely to do so, and they collectively called on military service members to recognize that and stand down if and when that were to happen. On Wednesday’s broadcast of “The Story,” MacCallum pressed Crow  — an Army Ranger veteran who took part in making the video — asking several times what specific “unlawful order” had provided the basis for the video.

WATCH:

Democrat Rep. Jason Crow is asked FOUR TIMES what “illegal orders” he and his Democrat colleagues are referring to in their video calling for an insurrection.

He can’t answer — because they are lying. pic.twitter.com/vNQGGOegEQ

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 19, 2025

“… what law are you talking about that’s being broken? And then you said he’s ‘implying’ that he might do something that they wouldn’t want to uphold or follow through with in the future,” she began. “What are you talking about specifically?”

“I appreciate you asking,” Crow replied. “Number one, the protests at Lafayette Square in the first Trump administration where he said, ‘Can’t you just shoot them? Can’t you just shoot them in the legs or something?’ That’s a direct quote. And of course —”

MacCallum, apparently baffled by Crow’s response, pointed out, “That was not a military order, that was a comment. That’s not a military order.”

Crow attempted to argue that it was a “request” and that because President Trump had been the one to make the “request,” it should be interpreted as a de facto order.

“I’m asking, specifically, right now, what you’re talking about,” MacCallum tried again.

“Number two,” Crow forged ahead undeterred. “Yeah, number two, he’s also threatened to send the military into Chicago and other cities to, quote, ‘go to war’ with those cities. That is a very, very disturbing thing. Number three, he’s also alluded to sending troops to polling stations, which is actually a violation of U.S. law, U.S. criminal law prohibits troops from going to polling stations … he’s alluded to that.”

“You’re talking about allusions, you’re not talking about actual policy,” MacCallum pushed back, noting that he hadn’t mentioned a single thing that service members had actually “been asked to do.”

“What exactly are [you] talking about? Are [you] talking about not allowing gunboats to make it to the United States carrying drugs?” she asked, referencing the Trump administration’s efforts to target narco-terrorists before they arrived on American shores. “Is that what you’re talking about?”

“Martha, here’s a novel idea,” Crow said, his tone sarcastic. “How about we actually prevent things from happening before they become a problem.”

MacCallum, still talking about the drug boats, shot back, “I think that’s what they’re trying to do!”

Crow then attempted to claim that he was simply “preparing” service members for the potential problems that could be on the horizon, prompting MacCallum to try one last time: “What specific order from the Commander in Chief, that we are asking our military to carry out, are you objecting to?”

“Martha, Donald Trump has made a series of very disturbing comments …” Crow’s response was the same as it had been throughout.