Despite tireless efforts from Senate Democrats, who debated on the Senate floor until the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Betsy DeVos has officially been confirmed as the new U.S. Secretary of Education, according to CNN.
Left-wing politicians had hoped to sway one more GOP senator in order to break the 50-50 vote tie and spike DeVos’ nomination, but stopped just short. In the end, the final tie-breaking vote was cast by Vice President Mike Pence, who gave DeVos the 51 Senate votes needed to be confirmed.
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DeVos’ documented and demonstrated lack of basic knowledge about — or even regard for — the U.S. public school system, higher education or students with disabilities, was somehow not enough to keep her from being confirmed. Her gross inexperience was brought to light most recently by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who put DeVos’ knowledge to the test during the nationally-televised confirmation hearings in January.
Warren was also among several key Senate Democrats who led protests both in and outside of the Capitol building on Monday.
“It is difficult to imagine a worse choice to head the Department of Education,” Senator Warren said, speaking Monday from the Senate floor. “Betsy DeVos doesn’t believe in public schools. Her only knowledge of student loans seems to come from her own financial investments connected to debt collectors who hound people struggling with student loans and, despite being a billionaire, she wants the chance to keep making money off these shady investments while she runs the Department of Education,” the senator added. “We need someone in charge of the nation’s education policy who knows what they’re doing and who will put America’s young people first. That is not Betsy DeVos.”
DeVos is the latest in a string of heavily opposed, inexperienced individuals chosen by Trump to assume crucial leadership positions in his administration.