White House clashes with defiant cabinet member over Trump's massive cuts: report

A Trump cabinet secretary is breaking from the White House on proposed budget cuts, according to reporting by the New York Times.

"The White House is asking Congress to cut the number of lawyers enforcing civil rights in schools," the Times reported on Friday. "Education Secretary Linda McMahon has told Congress she wants money to hire more."

McMahon told House lawmakers last week that the proposed cuts are a "floor for hiring," the report noted. Two anonymous White House officials said McMahon is contradicting their position by framing the proposed cuts as a starting point for negotiations.

The White House wants to cut staffing at the Department of Education's civil rights office by 49 percent and reduce its staff from 530 to 271, according to the Times. White House officials are expecting McMahon to work with those cuts, they told the outlet.

"Public disagreements are rare between the White House and Cabinet officials," the Times noted. "The incongruity over the education budget reflects the chaotic approach the Trump administration has taken toward civil rights enforcement in schools."

McMahon fired half of the Education Department's civil rights lawyers during her second week leading the department, prompting bipartisan concern "about the department's handling of civil rights enforcement," the report added. McMahon said the firings were already underway as part of the DOGE cuts.

"In December, Ms. McMahon gave up on the firings in the face of mounting legal challenges and an expanding backlog of discrimination complaints in schools," according to the report. "Ms. McMahon told senators during a budget hearing in April that all of the civil rights lawyers had returned except for those who took early retirement. But public records suggest that Ms. McMahon has so far been unable to rebuild the office."

A spokesperson for the Education Department, however, said they plan to "use all congressionally appropriated funds responsibly to uphold and restore civil rights enforcement."

The Department of Education currently has job openings posted online for lawyers in civil rights enforcement roles.