Donald Trump’s education secretary has refused to say if she believes school curricula that correctly state Joe Biden won the 2020 election amount to “illegal DEI.”
Secretary Linda McMahon instead repeatedly told House lawmakers on Wednesday that social studies “should all be taught accurately” and that “we should hear all sides.”
During a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing, Democratic Rep. Summer Lee, of Pennsylvania, repeatedly asked McMahon whether she believes certain lesson plans constitute “illegal DEI” — referring to the Trump administration’s threat to withhold federal funding to schools it believes are engaged in “illegal DEI practices.”
In a heated back and forth, Lee pressed McMahon to say whether curriculum on the 2020 election and African-American history lessons on the Tulsa race massacre and civil rights activist Ruby Bridges are considered “illegal” diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
McMahon said she would “look into” them. Asked whether she even knows who and what those people and events are, McMahon fumbled for answers.
“Do you know what the Tulsa race massacre is?” asked Lee, referencing a white mob’s bloody destruction of a bustling Black town in Oklahoma in 1921.
“I’d like to look into it more,” McMahon said.
“How about the book Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges?” Lee asked.
McMahon said she hasn’t read it.
“Have you learned about Ruby Bridges?” said Lee, referring to the first Black child to enter an all-white school in the South during desegregation efforts in 1960.
“If you have specific examples—,” McMahon replied.
“That was an incredibly specific example,” Lee fired back.
The congresswoman then asked whether social studies standards that teach that Biden won the 2020 presidential election would also be considered “illegal DEI.”
McMahon said social studies “should all be taught accurately.”
Lee demanded a “yes or no” answer. McMahon repeated her reply.
“I think I have said we should teach accurately,” she said. “We should hear all sides.”
Lee’s questions follow newly established curriculum standards in Oklahoma, where the state’s controversial schools superintendent ushered through sweeping changes that introduce 2020 election conspiracy theories into school curriculums.
Students will be required to “identify discrepancies” in the 2020 presidential election, appearing to amplify Trump’s baseless narrative that the election was fraudulent.
Students will also learn about “the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps” and “an unforeseen record number of voters,” appearing to repeat unsupported claims that bolster conspiracy theories surrounding election results.
McMahon is appearing before members of Congress this week to present a budget for a department that the president wants to eliminate entirely.
The White House wants to reduce the department’s budget by 15 percent in 2026, targeting a range of programs supporting K-12 students and higher education. Advocacy groups fear the cuts will be particularly devastating to students from lower-income families and in rural areas, and “ultimately harm schools and the students they serve,” according to the School Superintendents Association.
