McMahon Questioned on Graduate Loan Caps and Defining Professional Degree Programs

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified before the House Committee on Education & Workforce last week to answer questions about the Department’s policies and priorities. While committee members differed in their opinions of the effectiveness of the Department based on party lines, there was bipartisan concern about the agency’s new graduate student loan caps and its definition of professional degree programs. 

At the outset, Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) applauded McMahon’s efforts to fix the updated FAFSA, resume student loan repayments, open new section 117 investigations, combat antisemitism, investigate ghost student fraud, and implement the reforms of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. Meanwhile, in his opening remarks Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) criticized the measures already undertaken to dismantle the Department of Education as well as the lack of action being taken by the Office for Civil Rights to resolve pending cases.

Throughout the hearing, however, members on both sides of the aisle grilled McMahon on the new graduate student loan caps and the Department’s criteria for defining professional degree programs. Many lawmakers expressed their concerns that the new caps would further exacerbate workforce shortages in their districts, particularly in key areas such as healthcare, education, and social work.

McMahon remained steadfast in her defense of the Department’s decisions, noting that their research found that there are avenues and programs for obtaining these degrees that do not exceed the cap.

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Olivia Lattanzi