DeVos confirmed as education secretary by 1-vote margin

In this image from video, provided by Senate Television, Vice President Mike Pence presides over the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington during the Senate's vote on Education Secretary-designate Betsy DeVos. The Senate confirmed DeVos with Pence breaking a 50-50 tie, Feb. 7, 2016 | Photo courtesy of Senate Television via Associated Press, St. George News

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (AP) — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed school choice advocate Betsy DeVos as education secretary by the narrowest of margins, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a 50-50 tie in a historic vote.

Two Republicans joined Democrats in the unsuccessful effort to derail the nomination of the wealthy Republican donor. The Senate historian said Pence’s vote was the first by a vice president to break a tie on a Cabinet nomination.

In this January 2017 file photo, Education Secretary-designate Betsy DeVos testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The Senate was poised on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017, to confirm Devos by the narrowest possible margin, with Vice President Mike Pence expected to break a 50-50 tie, despite a last-ditch effort by Democrats to sink the nomination, photo dated Jan. 17, 2017 | Associated Press photo by Carolyn Kaster, St. George News

Democrats cited DeVos’ lack of public school experience and financial interests in organizations pushing charter schools. Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also expressed fears that DeVos’ focus on charter schools will undermine remote public schools in their states. However, the new education secretary has said she would divest herself from the organizations cited by the Democrats.

Despite the win, DeVos emerges bruised from the highly divisive nomination process. She has faced criticism for her stumbles and confusion during her confirmation hearing. Teachers unions and civil rights activists were also critical of her support of charter schools and her conservative religious beliefs.

But President Donald Trump remained uncompromising and accused Democrats of seeking to torpedo education progress. In a tweet before the vote, he wrote “Betsy DeVos is a reformer, and she is going to be a great Education Sec. for our kids!”

After an all-night speaking marathon by Democrats, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, urged her Republican colleagues to vote against DeVos, calling her unqualified and saying that she will be a poor advocate for low-income families and students with disabilities who rely on public education.

We are just within one vote of sending this nomination back and asking the president to send us a nominee that can be supported by members on both sides of the aisle, that can set a vision that can fight for public schools, that can be that champion,” Murray said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said DeVos will seek to empower states, not federal bureaucrats, to make important education decisions.

“I know that she is committed to improving our education system so that every child — every child — has a brighter future,” McConnell said ahead of the vote.

Emotions ran high ahead of the vote as constituents jammed senators’ phone lines with calls and protesters gathered outside the Capitol.

DeVos has provided few details about her policy agenda, but she is sure to have a busy job. She will have to weigh in on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act and possibly undo some of the previous administration’s regulation initiatives on school accountability and spending, which have been criticized by Republicans as federal overreach. Rules on such things as accountability already have been on hold.

In this image from video provided by Senate Television, Vice President Mike Pence presides over the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington during the Senate’s vote on Education Secretary-designate Betsy DeVos. The Senate confirmed DeVos with Pence breaking a 50-50 tie, Feb. 7, 2017 | Photo from Senate Television via Associated Press, St. George News

She will have to address several hot-button issues in higher education, such as rising tuition costs, growing student debt and the troubled for-profit colleges, many of which have closed down, leaving students with huge loans and without a good education or job prospects. Observers will pay close attention to how DeVos deals with sexual assault and freedom of speech on campuses.

DeVos will also have to react to Trump’s campaign proposal of funneling $20 billion of public funds toward school vouchers.

In addition to DeVos, Republicans hope to confirm a series of other divisive nominees this week: Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general, GOP Rep. Tom Price of Georgia as health secretary and financier Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary.

In each case, Democrats have stated they intend to use the maximum time allowed under the Senate’s arcane rules to debate the nominations, which may result in a late-night votes this week and delay Mnuchin’s approval until Saturday.

Republicans have complained that previous presidents have been able to put their Cabinets in place more quickly. Democrats say it’s Trump’s fault because many of his nominees have complicated financial arrangements and ethical entanglements they claim they have not had enough time to dissect.

Thus far, six Cabinet and high-level officials have been confirmed, including the secretaries of state, defense, homeland security and transportation.

The clash over nominees has created a toxic atmosphere in the Senate that mirrors the tense national mood since Trump’s election, with Democrats boycotting committee votes and Republicans unilaterally jamming nominees through committee without Democrats present.

Written by MARIA DANILOVA, Associated Press. 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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5 Comments

  • Bender February 7, 2017 at 6:05 pm

    Nominee neither attended public schools nor sent any of her children to public schools. Hopefully she will be too incompetent to do anything consequentially bad. Trump fans: Bender is a big proponent of shaking things up. Be aware, however, of the distinction between shaking it up and screwing it up. Feels like we are in for a whole bunch of the latter with new POTUS.

  • commonsense February 7, 2017 at 10:10 pm

    Progressives (regressives) really like diversity unless it applies to different approaches to education.
    They also like diversity unless you are devoutly Chrstian as DeVos happens to be.
    And, they like feminists unless the powerful woman differs ideologically. Hmmm…convenient diversity!

    • theone February 8, 2017 at 8:33 am

      Wrong on all counts.
      Progressives are perfectly fine with a different approach as long as it’s a healthy approach and not some kind of brainwashing agenda.
      Progressives also don’t care if you identify as a Christian so long as you separate church and state, we don’t deserve to be subjected to your
      personal belief as a Christian.
      Feminists are another group who has radicals and level headed people. No one likes the radicals.
      Of course this all goes over your head because of your dark age ideology.

      • Henry February 8, 2017 at 8:09 pm

        The standard collection of euphemisms used by the left. Thanks for a good chuckle.

        • theone February 9, 2017 at 8:52 am

          LOL You sure you know what that word means?

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