McMahon seeks approval for $43,278 furniture purchase
The Education Department requested funding for new furnishings after moving to a former USAID office, a cost officials say is offset by the $4.8 million in annual savings from the relocation.
By Alejandro Brooks ·
Linda McMahon, the secretary of education, is preparing to spend $43,278.64 on new office furniture for the U.S. Department of Education. The request covers a desk, conference table, chairs, and other items for the agency’s new workspace. The department notified Congress of the expenditure based on non-public records reviewed by the New York Times.
The office stated that the secretary’s current furniture is worn out. Officials argued the existing pieces cannot be integrated into the agency’s new office space either configurationally or aesthetically. This purchase occurs as McMahon works to permanently close the department.
In March, McMahon announced the department would move from the Lyndon B. Johnson building to a smaller structure in downtown Washington, D.C. That building previously housed the U.S. Agency for International Development before the administration shut down the agency. McMahon claimed the move would save taxpayers $4.8 million every year.
Savannah Newhouse, the department’s press secretary, defended the spending. In a statement, she said the administration is saving millions of dollars through education cuts. Newhouse added that new federal offices need places to sit, write, and meet, similar to private sector workplaces.
The furniture purchase is part of a larger effort to reduce the department’s footprint. Trump signed an executive order in 2025 directing McMahon to close the agency. The administration has since cut staffing nearly in half. It also moved specific responsibilities to other agencies through interagency agreements.
Special education services are now under the Department of Health and Human Services. Civil rights enforcement has been transferred to the Department of Justice. Republican-controlled Congress has not yet voted to dissolve the department, though the administration continues to shift its functions.
The next step involves the formal approval of the furniture budget. The department will finalize the purchase once the funds are secured. This expenditure will be recorded in the department’s financial reports for the current fiscal year.
Source: The Guardian
