On Wednesday, June 4, President Trump’s Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, responded to questions, comments, and predictable partisan digs from House Education and Workforce Committee members for over three hours. She was a cool cat throughout.
McMahon is a successful, tough-and-tumble businesswoman from the world of professional wrestling. For her, handling sometimes petulant politicians is probably no big deal.
As for higher education matters, she was asked about campus free speech, student loans and repayment plans, as well as foreign influence and national security. Her answers were principled and included illustrative examples. On the dangers of foreign money and foreign students on campus, she cited the recent FBI arrest of Chinese nationals bringing pathological fungi to the University of Michigan, a serious risk to America’s safety, security, and also to our food supply. When she wasn’t sure about an answer, she promised to get back to members with responses.
Equally impressive was McMahon‘s awareness of campus administrative bloat and antisemitism, as well as the shameless capture of colleges and universities by the hard political left, which she diplomatically called a concerning “lack of viewpoint diversity.” Indeed. Today, professors are almost all registered Democrats, and regardless of official school policy promoting “diversity,” this aspiration emphatically does not extend to political or cultural opinions, especially when schools make hiring decisions. The de facto practice is that Republicans need not apply. In fact, many college departments lack a single registered Republican. Diversity for race but not for thought.
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