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Dive Snapshot:
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici filed three articles of impeachment Thursday against U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, accusing her of illegally dismantling the U.S. Department of Education and lying to Congress.
Bonamici pointed to McMahon’s moves to transfer Education Department duties to other federal agencies without congressional approval. “Educators and parents, especially parents of students with disabilities, are distraught and asking us to take action to stop these illegal transfers,” Bonamici said on the House floor Thursday.
Sixteen other House Democrats co-sponsored the legislation. However, it faces a tough road ahead — the majority of the House would have to approve the articles of impeachment before it would move to the Republican-controlled Senate, where a two-thirds majority would be needed to convict McMahon on any of them and remove her from office.
The significance:
McMahon pushed back against Bonamici when the Oregon Democrat announced her plans to file the articles of impeachment a week ago. The Education Department referred Higher Ed Dive to McMahon’s social media post when asked for comment on Thursday.
“It speaks volumes that House Democrats think an impeachable offense is working to improve student outcomes and reduce the federal bureaucracy,” McMahon said in the post on X last week.
Bonamici alleged that last year’s massive cuts at the Education Department have resulted in the agency being unable to disburse funding on time or investigate discrimination and harassment at K-12 schools and colleges.
In Thursday’s announcement, Bonamici also accused McMahon of lying to the Senate during her confirmation hearing. According to Bonamici, McMahon promised lawmakers she would award funds appropriated by Congress but then withheld mental health grants as well as TRIO awards, which help first-generation and low-income students access and complete higher education.
The background:
Bonamici’s articles of impeachment come just days after the Education Department’s Office of Inspector General, an internal watchdog, found that the massive layoffs last year “appear” to have impacted units that were performing some of the agency’s legal duties.
McMahon has also recently caught flak from lawmakers over the Education Department’s civil rights record under the second Trump administration.
The agency made massive staff cuts to its Office for Civil Rights, though it has brought some personnel back following a court order. However, a recent report from Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office found that the Education Department reached resolutions in only 1% of civil rights cases last year — a decade-plus low.
What we’re watching:
Bonamici’s legislation isn’t likely to go far in a Republican-controlled Congress. So far, Rep. Tim Walberg, the Republican chair of the House’s education committee, called the move “political theater” in a statement shared with media.
It nonetheless represents the first time impeachment proceedings have been brought against a U.S. education secretary, The 74 reported.
