Education Secretary Plans $43,000 in New Office Furniture

Education Secretary Linda McMahon is planning to spend roughly $43,000 on new furniture for her office, according to The Guardian and The New York Times, which both reported the plan on October 28, 2026. The new furnishings are expected to cost $43,278.64 and include a new desk, a conference table, chairs and other items.

The purchase comes as the Department of Education prepares to move offices. In March, McMahon announced that the department would leave the Lyndon B. Johnson building for a smaller building in downtown Washington, D.C. That building previously housed the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which the Trump administration closed.

In material sent to Congress, McMahon's office said the current furniture was worn out and "cannot be configurationally or aesthetically integrated into the agency's new office space." McMahon has claimed the move would save taxpayers $4.8 million a year.

Senators Murray and Baldwin have called on McMahon to scrap her plans to spend more than $43,000 in taxpayer dollars on new office furniture.

Education Department press secretary Savannah Newhouse said the administration was "saving taxpayers millions of dollars" through its education cuts.