Education Chief Wants Shutdown, New Furniture

Linda McMahon is lobbying Congress to shut down the Education Department, but she evidently wants the agency to go out in style—or at least her corner of it. President Trump's education secretary plans to spend about $43,000 on furniture—including a new desk, conference table, and chairs. Records reviewed by the New York Times show her staff told lawmakers the current setup is worn out and can't be adapted to the department's new, smaller headquarters.

The spending has drawn fire from Senate Democrats and the union representing department employees, who call it wasteful and insulting in the face of layoffs and program shifts to other agencies. Department officials counter that the relocation will save about $5 million a year and insist the new offices will "need places to sit, write and meet," even as broader renovations tied to the move run into the tens of millions. The move to smaller quarters in Washington was announced in March. Only Congress can eliminate the Education Department, the Guardian points out, but Trump and McMahon have cut the agency's responsibilities and its staff by almost half.