Why Isn't the Department of Education Already Closed?

At her confirmation hearing last week, Linda McMahon, Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of education, walked a thin line. On the one hand, she needed to assure Congress and the American people that she was fit for a cabinet-level position. On the other, she needed to satisfy her would-be boss, who has said quite candidly that he wants McMahon "to put herself out of a job." We shouldn't be surprised, then, that McMahon rejected the notion that she would "defund" education, suggesting instead that she would root out "waste, fraud, and abuse."