Overview

• At a June 4 House Education and Workforce Committee hearing, Rep. Summer Lee accused Education Secretary Linda McMahon of reviving Jim Crow–style racism through the department’s anti-DEI directives
• McMahon would not say whether teaching that President Biden won the 2020 election qualifies as “illegal DEI,” offering only that lessons must be taught accurately
• When asked if lessons on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre or Ruby Bridges breach administrative guidelines, McMahon said she would need to “look into” them
• Lee highlighted that multiple federal judges have preliminarily blocked the department’s anti-DEI guidance and that an April letter required schools to certify they were DEI-free or risk losing funding
• The Trump administration is seeking a 15% cut to the Department of Education’s 2026 budget and states like Oklahoma have adopted new standards teaching 2020 election conspiracy theories