U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon faced tense exchanges with House Democrats during a hearing defending the Trump administration’s education restructuring plans and loan-related proposals. Democrats argued that shifting responsibilities across federal agencies and cutting staff for the Office for Civil Rights has produced chaos, while Republicans largely defended McMahon’s approach. Lawmakers focused on whether new caps on graduate federal student borrowing will reduce higher education costs and what happens to programs and civil-rights enforcement as responsibilities are moved. McMahon also defended FAFSA fraud-prevention efforts and framed the administration’s priorities as returning authority to states. Republicans and Democrats also debated the regulatory definition of a “professional student” status, which determines eligibility for higher federal loan limits in specified graduate fields. McMahon said the approach is designed to cut red tape; Democrats said the implementation risks illegality and undermines federal obligations. The hearing underscores that federal compliance capacity—particularly around civil-rights enforcement—remains central to higher education policy implementation in the current administration.