Updated at 3:45 p.m. ET Friday On Wednesday, lawmakers had some tough questions for Miguel Cardona, President Biden's nominee to be the next U.S. education secretary. The Connecticut educator was asked about student loan debt forgiveness, policies for transgender students and, most critically, how he would help schools reopen as the pandemic rages. Members of the U.S. Senate's education committee didn't have much to go on as they prepared for Cardona's hearing. That's because, along with most of the country, many of those lawmakers are just getting to know him. In a Biden administration full of familiar faces, Cardona is relatively new to the national spotlight. His biggest job to date has been as Connecticut's education commissioner, a role he's filled for just the past year and half.