America’s New Secretary of Education: Betsy DeVos of Michigan
A 50–50 vote was broken by Vice President Mike Pence to allow the United States Senate to confirm Betsy DeVos as the next Secretary of Education. After two Republican senators declined to vote for Ms. DeVos, Pence had to become to first vice president ever to cast a tie-breaking vote for a cabinet nominee.
A philanthropist and activist from Michigan, DeVos will take over the leadership and management of the Department of Education that has 4,400 employees and a $68 billion annual budget.
This historic vote to confirm DeVos came after the Senate Democrats participated in an all-night Senate session that highlighted their opposition to the nominee who has no experience working, attending or volunteering at public schools.
DeVos now becomes President Donald Trump’s sixth cabinet nominee to be officially confirmed by the Senate.
Many members of the Senate Democratic Caucus decided that unified opposition was necessary to DeVos’ nomination following her confirmation hearing where she failed to effectively demonstrate understanding of important educational policies.
“She [Betsy DeVos] had no idea what I was talking about,” said Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota). “I cannot overstate how central this is to education.”
At approximately 10 o’clock in the evening on Monday, Franken recalled on the Senate floor his exchange with DeVos during her confirmation hearing last month. During this hearing, Franken asked DeVos whether she was partial to an educational philosophy in which children are measured on growth within the academic year or on proficiency of a grade level.
Clips from the hearing that circulated on social media further sprung opposition to the this nomination. Although Senate Democrats had identified DeVos as one of the eight cabinet nominations they would vehemently oppose, the public fury to DeVos further encouraged them to try and #StopDeVos.
Thus, the public inundated Senate offices by jamming phone lines, pressuring Democrats to fight her nomination and urging Republicans to oppose her nomination to be Secretary of Education.
In addition, rallies were organized at Senate district offices around the country which were able to successfully influence Senators Collins and Murkowksi to vote against the nomination.
Senate Democrats and those in the public that opposed the nomination also expressed concern over the fact that DeVos had worked, for most ofher career, in opposition to public schools. Others raised concerns about her business ties and the conflicts of interest that could arise for her as Secretary of Education. DeVos has personally invested in private and charter schools and has advocated for both.
Immediately after her confirmation vote, DeVos took to Twitter to express her excitement at the opportunity to serve as Secretary of Education and to work to improve the educational system for all students.
Born in Baltimore, M.D., Braxton Gregory Becoats is a senior History major and English minor at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He has held various leadership roles on campus, such as a Senator in the Student Government Association, Social Justice Chairman in the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel, and Chairman of the Student Welfare and Concerns and Constitution and Bylaws Committees in the Student Government Association.
