DeVos’s confirmation vote is set to occur Tuesday at noon. Senate Democrats hope their arguments will convince just one more Republican to cross party lines and oppose the MI billionaire’s confirmation – alongside Republican Sens.
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Currently, there appears to be a dead heat between Senators who will vote in favor of DeVos and those who will oppose.
Columbia teachers protest Secretary of Education nominee Betsy Devos outside Senator Roy Blunt’s office in downtown Columbia on Monday.
Opponents face an uphill battle to flip another GOP lawmaker. She’s committed to destroying public education.
Sen. Patty Murray, top Democrat of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, called DeVos’ nomination ” a slap in the face”. Colorado voted for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.
DeVos is a major Republican donor and longtime advocate of school choice who is married to an heir to the Amway marketing fortune. “But some reason for education it’s OK and it’s not”, said HSTA President Corey Rosenlee. Republicans voted 52-48 to cut off debate over the nomination. “And I’ve gotten a lot on a lot of nominees”. “We wouldn’t accept a treasury secretary who doesn’t understand multiplication”, he said.
Capitol switchboards have been swamped by phone calls from voters across the country attempting to reach their senators and voice either opposition or support for DeVos.
Schumer said that Republicans should “look into their conscience and cast their votes not based on party loyalty, but based on whether or not Ms. DeVos is qualified to be our nation’s leader on education policy”.
“It is hard to imagine a worse choice to head the Department of Education”, said Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
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“I have every confidence that Ms. DeVos will lead the Department of Education in such a way that would put our students’ interests first”, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
