Betsy DeVos Confirmed as Education Secretary
The Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as education secretary Tuesday with a 51–50 vote that required Vice President Mike Pence to cast a tie-breaking ballot - the first time in American history a vice president has broken a tie for in a Cabinet confirmation vote.
I appreciate the Senate's diligence & am honored to serve as @usedgov Secretary. Let's improve options & outcomes for all US students.
- Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVos) February 7, 2017
DeVos, a billionaire philanthropist from Michigan and staunch Trump supporter, emerged as arguably the most divisive of President Trump's Cabinet picks. She's a strong proponent of school choice, meaning the government should give parents and guardians vouchers to choose which school (public, private, or otherwise) to send their kids. Critics have pointed out that this approach would effectively gut funding for public schools and restore systemic segregation in America's education system.
The approach has rankled voters in states that voted for Trump, according to the New York Times, many of whom are from rural areas where a single public school is the only feasible option for parents.
During her confirmation hearings, DeVos stumbled on a few key questions, including federal funding for students with disability. Her experience in the education system was also shown to be narrow - for instance, neither she nor her kids attended public schools, which the vast majority of America's children attend. She's never worked in education, but DeVos and her husband have spent two decades raising money and awareness for the school voucher system, including private and charter schools.
It appeared the Democrats might be able to block DeVos's confirmation when two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, said they planned to vote against the president's nomination. But Democrats failed to persuade other Republican lawmakers to cross the aisle.
The evening before the vote, Democrats held the Senate floor for 24 hours as a sign of protest. DeVos is "fundamentally incompetent," Sen. Al Franken, a Democrat from Minnesota, said Monday. "This is not a job for amateurs."
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