Education
Education

Senate set to consider, vote on Betsy DeVos as education secretary

Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the next Secretary of Education, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee January 17, in Washington, DC. . (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the next Secretary of Education, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee January 17, in Washington, DC. . (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
By Maureen Downey
Feb 6, 2017

Today is D-Day in Washington — the confirmation debate and vote on Betsy DeVos, one of Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees and the most contested.

Despite the assurance of President Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer the confirmation is a cinch, the administration is making a last-ditch push today for DeVos in an email solicitation pleading with supporters to rally behind her.

The Michigan billionaire and mega Republican donor ran into trouble last week when two Republican senators announced they will not approve her, citing her lack of education experience. The announcement by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, set off a flurry of politicking on both sides and an unusual 6:30 a.m. Senate vote Friday to advance the DeVos nomination.

While no other Republican senator has indicated a defection, the Trump White House wants to counter the vocal opposition to DeVos. Opponents have at times overwhelmed the voicemail and phone lines of Georgia's two GOP senators, neither of whom seems inclined to break ranks with their party. DeVos' support of vouchers and her history of promoting escape routes out of public schools have mobilized those who believe public education today needs a committed champion rather than a strong critic.

To read more, go to AJC Get Schooled.

About the Author

Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.

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