Education secretary sought $43,000 office refit amid shutdown push
Why it matters: The spending request lands as Linda McMahon presses Congress to dismantle the department she leads.
US Education Secretary Linda McMahon planned to spend $43,000 on new furniture for her office while lobbying Congress to close the Education Department. Department records reviewed by The New York Times and cited by The Straits Times show McMahon’s staff told Congress her current furniture was worn out and could not be “configurationally or aesthetically integrated” into the agency’s new office space. The request covers a makeover of McMahon’s Washington office even as she pushes lawmakers to abolish the department, creating an apparent clash between cost-cutting rhetoric and office spending.