Education Secretary Linda McMahon spoke to the Senate this week about Trump’s 2026 education budget. However, the hearing did not go as planned. It quickly turned into a math lesson that left many people surprised. McMahon agreed with a number from Senator John Kennedy that was utterly wrong, and things only got worse from there.
It all started when Republican Senator John Kennedy asked McMahon about the amount of money spent on a federal program called TRIO. TRIO helps students from poor families prepare for college. Kennedy asked, “We spend $1.58 billion a year on TRIO?”
McMahon said, “Yes.”
Kennedy then said, “That’s one thousand five hundred and eighty million dollars a year? Is my math right?”
McMahon responded, “I think that’s right, sir.”
It wasn’t.
Kennedy then said the government had spent “over a trillion dollars” on TRIO over the years. McMahon didn’t correct him. She didn’t say anything. She just let it slide.
But that number was wrong.
Democratic Senator Jack Reed stepped in to correct both of them. He said, “I’m not a great mathematician, but I think you were talking about a trillion dollars. I believe $1.5 billion times 10 is $15 billion, and that’s a little bit off from a trillion dollars.”
Reed: I’m not a great mathematician but I think you were talking about a trillion dollars. I believe 1.5 billion times ten is 15 billion.
McMahon: I think the cut is 1.2 billion
Reed: That would be 12 billion not a trillion
McMahon: Okay pic.twitter.com/pLBlsO5ziy
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 3, 2025
He was right. A trillion dollars is way, way more than $15 billion. You would need about 67 years of spending $15 billion per year to reach $1 trillion.
McMahon sat stiffly and replied, “OK.” No apology. No correction. Just “OK.”
This is the U.S. secretary of education. She’s supposed to be helping schools and students. But she couldn’t even correct a basic math mistake in front of the whole country.
It got worse.
Later in the hearing, Senator Tammy Baldwin asked McMahon about funding for after-school programs. Congress passed a law allocating funds to schools for these programs. But Baldwin wanted to know if McMahon actually planned to give out the money.
McMahon didn’t give a straight answer. She said something about “operating plans” and “allocations.”
Baldwin cut her off.
“This isn’t a nuanced question,” Baldwin said. “Congress passed a law appropriating this funding. You stated in your confirmation hearing that you would spend the funding Congress appropriated. If the answer isn’t simply ‘yes,’ that leads me to believe that you are planning to withhold funding and short-change schools, students, and families across America.”
Baldwin: Are you going to allocate all of the funding congress appropriated for students in schools in Wisconsin and across the country this year?
McMahon: pic.twitter.com/5f6hUyBMcs
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 3, 2025
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It was a decisive moment.
The hearing showed two significant problems.
First, Trump’s education secretary didn’t correct basic math. That’s troubling. If the person in charge of education can’t multiply numbers correctly or won’t stop false claims, what message does that send to students?
Second, McMahon refused to say whether she would follow the law and allocate funds for programs that Congress has already approved. That’s not just bad policy — it’s dangerous.
Millions of students in America depend on TRIO, GEAR UP, and after-school programs to help them stay in school and plan for college. These programs work. They don’t need budget cuts. They need more support.
Featured image via Screengrab
