Education Secretary Linda McMahon stumbles on softball question during budget hearing

US Education Secretary Linda McMahon was tripped up several times during a Senate budget hearing on Tuesday, including when she awkwardly whiffed softball questions from Republican lawmakers.During the hearing, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) teed up McMahon with a simple question to tout the changes she’s made to the department, only for her to stumble when she failed to answer correctly.“What were we ranked in reading and math in 1979?” Mullin asked.

“I’m sorry, what?” McMahon replied.“What were we ranked, nationally, in math and reading in 1979?” he repeated.

“We were very, very low on the totem pole,” the education secretary asserted.“We were No.

1 in 1979,” the Oklahoma senator corrected.“Oh, in 1979.I’m sorry.

OK,” McMahon responded quickly, cutting off Mullin.“In 1979, we were ranked No.1.

Today, in reading, we are ranked 36th.In mathematics, we’re ranked 28th,” Mullin said as he attempted to point to the education department’s past failures.The gaffe wasn’t isolated, as McMahon also found herself confused when Sen.

John Kennedy (R-La.) asserted that the government had been spending $1.5 billion a year, for 10 years, on federal grant programs for disadvantaged students.Kennedy claimed the math added up to more than a trillion dollars, to no objections from McMahon, who appeared to have trouble doing the math herself when asked to clarify by Sen.Jack Reed (D-RI).“Madam secretary, I’m not a great mathematician, but I think you were talking about a trillion dollars?” he said.

“I believe 1.5 billion times 10 is $15 billion.That’s a little bit off from a trillion dollars.”“I think the budget cuts $1.2 billion,” McMahon replied. “Well, 1.2, that would be $12 billion, not a trillion dollars,” Reed said, noting that the math still doesn’t add up.

“OK,” McMahon replied.The exchange was only the latest gaffe from the education secretary, with McMahon making headlines after she repeatedly referr...