DeVos has Final Vote on Monday After Senate Advances Her
But it still looks like she’ll need Pence’s vote for confirmation.
The Senate woke up bright and early Friday morning to vote on President Donald Trump’s education secretary Betsy DeVos to advance her to a final vote on Monday.
She advanced with a 52-48 vote, but her confirmation vote will not come easy.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) scheduled the 6:30AM ET vote because rules state that the Senate needs 30 hours for debate before the leader can schedule the actual confirmation vote.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke out against DeVos on the floor this morning:
In an impassioned show of opposition, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer implored other senators to “look into their conscience” over the weekend and reconsider their support for DeVos, saying she is “one of the worst nominees that has ever been” brought before the Senate.
“Sometimes loyalty to a new president demands a bit too much,” he said. “With this nominee it does.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) considers the opposition against DeVos unfair and believes ties to teachers unions influence their decision:
“If people think our public education system is perfect, then I guess they don’t think we need to have any changes or any choices for students and their families,” he said. “I certainly think we do.”
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Maine Senator Susan Collins, both Republicans, voted yes this morning. However, both announced last week that they will note vote to confirm DeVos:
“I come to the floor to announce a very difficult decision that I have made, and that is to vote against the confirmation of Betsy DeVos to be our nation’s next secretary of Education,” Collins said from the Senate floor.
Collins specifically pointed to DeVos’s “lack of familiarly” with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, saying she was “troubled and surprised.”
This means the confirmation vote stands at 50-50, which means Vice President Mike Pence will have to break the tie. A vice president has never had to break a tie vote for a confirmation vote for a Cabinet nominee.
But if DeVos loses another Republican senator, that will not happen. Democrats remain hopeful another Republican senator will defect, but it appears the likely suspects will remain on the yes side.
The Huffington Post believes that Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) remains the top suspect, but he actually announced his support of DeVos:
“I am pleased to vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education,” he said in a statement. “Too many American kids are being left behind every day. That is not acceptable to Betsy DeVos, and it is not acceptable to me.”
Other possible swing votes include Sens. John Hoeven (ND), Deb Fischer (NE), and Dean Heller (NV). But all three have said they will vote for DeVos.
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Comments
She wouldn’t be my choice, but she’s also not a bad choice.
If her nomination is voted down, just leave the position open and let the damned agency die on its own.
Trump probably has a back up nom that the Leftist will hate even more!
Agreed, the Federales should have little to no control over local school issues and funding. And certainly no say on curriculum. Education is what property taxes and locally-elected school board members are for.
I’m not sure about her myself, but clearly our education system is a mess, money is not the answer, God knows we have thrown enough of that around, all you have to look at is the destruction of the family system, it’s own checks and balances, and the entitled, violent behavior of our youth.
I don’t think any”one” person has a chance of fixing this.
A study found that for the last 30 years, every bit of increased funding for “education” went to administrators and their staff.
Haven’t found the exact study link, but this article gives you a very good idea.
Administrators Ate My Tuition
http://206.190.45.150/search/srpcache?p=study+found+that+for+the+last+30+years%2C+every+bit+of+increased+funding+for+%E2%80%9Ceducation%E2%80%9D+went+to+administrators+and+their+staff.&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-002&fr=yhs-mozilla-002&u=http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:auSM_e5zXBEJ:http://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septoct-2011/administrators-ate-my-tuition/%20study%20found%20that%20for%20the%20last%2030%20years%2C%20every%20bit%20of%20increased%20funding%20for%20%E2%80%9Ceducation%E2%80%9D%20went%20to%20administrators%20and%20their%20staff.&icp=1&.intl=us&sig=RZwXJsHBUOzSh.QkQoGU1w–
Sorry about that.
Only the cached page would load. Hmmmm…..
It’s in the Sept./Oct. 2011 issue of the Washington Monthly
http://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septoct-2011/administrators-ate-my-tuition/
You’re right, every time monies come in there are at least 3-5 admins to look after said funds. So the funds never touch the kids.
The first thing that should be done is to bring back corporal punishment. That’s a state and local issue, though.
Hah!
I lived this as a kid in Alabama and Tennessee. It worked pretty well.
I worry that my comment is similar to Rags in some respects
Wow. Keep it up, and you’ll be a thinking, independent Conservative…
I’m guessing that McConnell gave those two permission to vote no, knowing that the nomination will be confirmed anyway. Gives a couple of his pet RINOs cover, and doesn’t really cost him anything.
This.
No point in twisting the arms of every last Republican to vote in support when not every vote is needed. Save the leverage for the hard work ahead — getting legislation passed while the Democrats try to filibuster every single resolution.
I suspect both of them have just earned a primary battle. Murkowski lost the primary in 2010, but somehow, possibly massive support from mainstream media, won the general election. Don’t think she could pull that off a second time.
My daughter is a Principal at a middle school in East Texas. She works 75 hours a week easy and only has one assisstent so clearly ALL monies are NOT going to Administrative costs. She probably is making minimum wage with the hours she puts in and she is a damn good Principal and well loved.
I feel sorry for her dealing with hostile parents, insane federal mandates , thankless public, and out of control kids.
She’s a hell of an educator, had her doctorate by 28, but she’s getting burnt out after only 7 years…
We are in trouble.
A serious thought for your daughter:
With her credentials and experience, she would be welcome at any of the fine private schools in the area, and they are growing exponentially. Just for one example out of many, I wonder if you’ve heard of Brook Hill – I happen to know a couple of the staff there, and everyone, both students and faculty, are in agreement that it is an absolutely wonderful environment for all. And that’s not the only good one at all in the area, of course – there are many. These schools are what education SHOULD be when it works the way it is supposed to.
And let me add, THESE are the people who will be cheering when Betsy DeVos is confirmed!
There was a great chart DECADES ago showing the inverse relationship between Federal spending on education and outcomes.
It’s only gotten worse.
The DOE has been the un-education* dept since it’s inception. The decline of our public education system closely parallels spending of the DOE.
*in reality it has been a success to the left, turning education into indoctrination.
The entire department is unconstitutional. I hope she sees her principal task as eliminating her own position. You think the Left would agree with their newfound knowledge of the Constitution’s existence.
She looks Cherokee.
Same tribe as Elizabeth Warren.
The democrats would have been smarter (which they have not been lately) if they had gone after DeVos on the concern about whether she supported Common Core. Using the argument that she has no public school experience, though valid. is a non starter since the previous Secretaries of Education had public school experience they have been doing great!
If DeVos does not make it, then just defund the DOE!
All 100 Senators there at 6:30 AM, ready to work.
It’s the end of the world. That’s the only explanation. I didn’t even think Senators knew what a sunrise was.
Maybe this Trump guy isn’t all that bad after all…
Mr. T needs to invite the twisted sisters Lisa And Susan into confab this weekend, first one who proclaims their vote for Betsy gets $200M in grants, the other gets zip, and then immediately leave.