McMahon: Trump admin will promote school choice, won’t punish states that don’t adopt

Although the Trump administration wants to withhold federal funding if states refuse to adhere to specific education policies, support for school choice is not one of them.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the federal government has no plans to penalize states that refuse to enact school choice policies.

“We wouldn’t be penalizing because that is a state function,” McMahon told Fox News.

“That is not a handle here in Washington. We are definitely providing information, working with states relative to school choice. And hopefully they will look at some of the other states around the country who have adopted school choice,” she said.

Although President Donald Trump supports school choice initiatives and has encouraged governors, including Brad Little of Idaho and Greg Abbott of Texas, to approve related programs, the administration thinks each state should determine its own school choice policies.

“We try to encourage the governors to talk and state superintendents to talk about how effective it is in their state,” said McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term before being appointed to lead the Department of Education. 

“There’s just no one-size-fits-all in education,” she added. “What’s great in Louisiana might not work in Kansas, might not work in New York City or in my home state of Connecticut. So we want local superintendents, local teachers, parents involved … in their students’ curriculum to make it be the best it can be for them.” 

In January, Trump signed an executive order to promote school choice. 

It directed McMahon to issue guidance on how states can use federal funding to promote K-12 school choice initiatives, a report that is due this month. Additionally, it called for a recommendation on how the federal government could use grant programs to expand “education freedom” for American families. 

“Every child deserves the best education available, regardless of their ZIP code,” a release accompanying the order said. “However, for generations, our government-assigned education system has failed millions of parents, students, and teachers. This Executive Order begins to rectify that wrong by opening up opportunities for students to attend the school that best fits their needs.”   

Trump has wasted no time in carrying out his education reform agenda. Most recently the administration withheld $400 million in grants to Columbia University over concerns of antisemitism on campus and is investigating 60 colleges for harboring antisemitism. 

The president also signed an executive order last month vowing to withhold federal funding from states and school districts that allow transgender-identifying males to compete in women’s sports. So far, the feds have found Maine violated the policy and paused about $30 million in funding to the University of Maine after two transgender track athletes won girls’ state championships in the past year. 

Oregon, Massachusetts, Minnesota and California – states that let males compete in women’s sports – are now under similar federal investigations. 

None of those states have taken action to prevent males from competing in girls’ sports, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, came out against the practice earlier this month.  

“I think it’s an issue of fairness – I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness; it’s deeply unfair,” Newsom told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on the first episode of his podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom.” “I am not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.” 

Newsom is widely viewed as a candidate for the White House in 2028. Some have questioned whether his comments were genuine or an attempt to bolster his political chances.