Senate confirms Trump's pick to oversee higher ed, a man tied to for-profit colleges [View all]

Last edited Sat Aug 2, 2025, 05:58 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: USA Today

Aug. 1, 2025 Updated Aug. 2, 2025, 12:43 p.m ET


The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to oversee higher education policy, a man with deep ties to the for-profit college industry, by a 50-to-45 vote on August 1.

Senate Majority John Thune filed cloture on Nicholas Kent’s nomination earlier in the week. And the education committee had already advanced Kent on a 12-11 vote without a hearing in late May.

The undersecretary at the Department of Education oversees billions in federal financial aid and is charged with ensuring America’s colleges provide a quality education.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon had previously told USA TODAY that Kent is a “natural leader” whose experience and concern for students “make him the ideal selection for under secretary of education."

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/08/01/senate-confirmation-nicholas-kent-education-department-trump/85441365007/