McMahon plans roughly $43,000 furniture purchase for new Education Department office

US education secretary Linda McMahon plans to spend roughly $43,000 furnishing her new office in Washington as the Department of Education relocates to smaller premises, according to reports published on October 28, 2026. The department says its existing furniture is worn out and unsuitable for the new space.¹²

Furniture and relocation costs

The Guardian put the expected furniture bill at $43,278.64. Inquirer.com reported the same total, saying the department’s communications staff had not supplied an itemised account of the expense. The purchase remains a plan in the reports, rather than a documented completed transaction.¹²

Education Department press secretary Savannah Newhouse defended the spending as a requirement of moving offices. “Believe it or not, just like in the private sector, new federal offices need places to sit, write, and meet,” she told the Guardian. The administration has said its education reductions are saving millions of dollars.¹

McMahon announced the headquarters move in March. According to inquirer.com, the department notified Congress of her office furnishing plans in September. The new headquarters will be in a privately owned building previously occupied by the US Agency for International Development, the outlet reported.¹²

The Guardian reported projected annual taxpayer savings of $4.8 million from the relocation. Inquirer.com separately reported McMahon’s estimate of about $5 million in yearly operating savings, and said the new premises would provide 80% less space than the department’s previous building.¹²

The move also involves construction spending. According to inquirer.com, the federal government needs to spend about $13 million preparing the new premises, while an earlier renovation of the Education Department building cost nearly $50 million. The outlet reported that the Energy Department is expected to occupy the former headquarters.²

A department being reduced

The furniture plans come as McMahon seeks to close the department permanently, according to the Guardian. It reported that President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2025 instructing her to do so, but that dissolution requires congressional direction. Congress has not approved legislation closing the department, inquirer.com reported.¹²

Staffing and responsibilities have nevertheless been reduced. Inquirer.com reported that the department now employs about 2,300 people, compared with about 4,100 at the beginning of Trump’s second term. The Guardian described staffing as having been cut by nearly half.¹²

The Guardian reported that responsibility for special education services shifted to Health and Human Services, while the Justice Department took over civil rights enforcement. Trump and McMahon have said effectively closing the Education Department would increase states’ authority over education.¹

Inquirer.com also reported that the Senate education committee advanced legislation intended to prevent major Education Department offices from being transferred to other agencies. The outlet said McMahon had described helping close the department as staff members’ “final mission”.²