Secretary of Education Linda McMahon was given a math lesson during a Senate hearing on Tuesday when Senator Jack Reed pointed out that $1.5 multiplied by 10 is not “over a trillion dollars” but actually $15 billion.

The Education Department has developed a reputation for public missteps. And its leader continued that trend at Tuesday’s hearing.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon took questions from members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday about the Department of Education’s budget for the 2026 fiscal year, and Reed was seeking clarification.