Education secretary McMahon plans $43,000 office furniture spend

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 15:46 · Archive

Education Secretary Linda McMahon is planning to spend $43,000 on new office furniture while seeking to close her department.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon is planning to spend approximately $43,000 on new furniture for her office, according to non-public records obtained by the New York Times. The spending includes a desk, conference table, chairs and other items totalling $43,278.64.

McMahon's office told Congress that her current furniture is worn out and "cannot be configurationally or aesthetically integrated into the agency's new office space". The Department of Education recently relocated from its headquarters in the Lyndon B Johnson building to a smaller building in downtown Washington that previously housed the US Agency for International Development before the Trump administration closed it.

The furniture purchase sits awkwardly with McMahon's stated goal of closing the Department of Education entirely. In March, she announced the office relocation would save taxpayers $4.8 million annually. The education department's press secretary, Savannah Newhouse, defended the spending by saying new federal offices require furniture "just like in the private sector", and claimed the administration was "saving taxpayers millions of dollars" through its education cuts overall.

McMahon, a former professional wrestling executive and billionaire Trump donor, has made shutting down the 46-year-old department her mission since taking office. The Independent notes this is not the first time a Trump Cabinet official has faced scrutiny over office spending: in 2018, Ben Carson cancelled a $31,000 dining set order after backlash, and Ryan Zinke spent $139,000 upgrading doors in his office.

How it is being reported

• Linda McMahon wants to spend $43,000 to spruce up her office as she works to close agencyShe’s not the first Trump Cabinet official to face scrutiny over spending on office revampsIndependent World · 29 Oct, 15:20
• Education secretary Linda McMahon plans to spend nearly $43,000 on office furnitureTrump ally, who is seeking to shutter the department, had said office relocation would save taxpayers $4.8m annually The Trump administration has insisted its controversial education cuts are saving “millions of dollars” after it was reported that Linda McMahon, secretary of education, is planning to spend roughly $43,000 on new furniture for her office. McMahon’s office told Congress that the secretary’s current furniture is worn out and “cannot be configurationally or aesthetically integrated into the agency’s new office space”, according to non-public records seen by the New York Times.…Guardian World · 28 Oct, 20:15

In this story: Linda McMahon · Department of Education · Donald Trump · Washington DC · Savannah Newhouse

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