Education Secretary Plans $43,000 Office Furniture Purchase Amid Push to Close Department

Education Secretary Linda McMahon plans to spend roughly $43,000 on new furniture for her office, according to a report in the New York Times. The administration has responded by insisting that its controversial education cuts are saving "millions of dollars."

The New York Times cited non-public records showing that McMahon's office told Congress her current furniture was worn out and "cannot be configurationally or aesthetically integrated into the agency's new office space." An unnamed senior official told the newspaper the office needs a new desk, a conference table, chairs and other items. The new furnishings are expected to cost $43,278.64.

The purchase comes as McMahon works to permanently close the Department of Education. In March, she announced that the department would leave its headquarters in the Lyndon B Johnson building and move to a smaller building in downtown Washington DC. That building previously housed the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which the Trump administration shut down.

McMahon has claimed the relocation will save taxpayers $4.8m annually.

Savannah Newhouse, the department's press secretary, said in a statement that the administration was "saving taxpayers millions of dollars" through its education cuts. She added: "Believe it or not, just like in the private sector, new federal offices need places to sit, write, and meet."

Shortly after returning to office in 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order directing McMahon, a former executive at World Wrestling Entertainment, to close the department. Congress created the Department of Education and only Congress can dissolve it. The Republican-controlled chambers have not moved to do so.

The administration has nonetheless taken steps to reduce the department's power. It has nearly halved the department's staffing through workforce reductions and shifted responsibilities to other agencies through "interagency agreements." Special education services have been moved to the Department of Health and Human Services, and civil rights enforcement efforts have been moved to the justice department.

Trump and McMahon have argued that effectively closing the department will give states more authority over education and eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic processes. States already control most of their own education policies.