U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon faced tense questioning at a House education committee hearing on the administration’s education department restructuring. Lawmakers pressed her on federal graduate student loan caps, including the new “professional student” definition and how it affects borrowing limits across fields, as well as how the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is handling caseloads. Democrats argued the moves are illegal and harmful, pointing to shifts of more than 110 education programs to other federal agencies and concerns about administrative leave and delays in OCR resolutions. Republicans largely defended McMahon while raising issues including the graduate loan-cap framework and threats to TRIO. McMahon reiterated the administration’s position that the changes reduce red tape and are intended to lower costs for students, as the July 1 loan-cap rules approach with exceptions for students already enrolled.