Betsy DeVos Nomination Clears Hurdle, Leaving Acrimony And Uncertainty About Full Senate Vote

Betsy DeVos Nomination Clears Hurdle, Leaving Acrimony and Uncertainty About Full Senate Vote

The nomination of Betsy DeVos as education secretary has advanced, despite strong opposition and a divisive vote by the Senate education committee. The process has created tension among senators and raised the possibility that some Republicans may defect when the vote goes to the full body.

The committee Democrats made attempts to block DeVos until the end, with some procedural drama over whether a proxy vote by Sen. Orrin Hatch should be counted. This resulted in a split vote of 12-11 in favor of DeVos.

The more significant development came from two Republican members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee: Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. They have not yet decided how they will vote on DeVos in the full Senate.

In a written statement, Murkowski emphasized that she did not guarantee her vote for DeVos’s confirmation. With a Senate majority of 52-48 for the Republicans, three GOP members would need to vote against DeVos to prevent her nomination.

Committee chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander believes that DeVos will be confirmed and that the controversy surrounding her nomination will not affect her effectiveness as secretary. The timing of the full Senate vote is up to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Alexander expressed his confidence in DeVos, stating that she would be an excellent education secretary and acknowledging her dedication to children and improving their education.

The nomination of DeVos has garnered significant attention and dissent, taking place during a time of national upheaval, including the travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries and the firing of the acting attorney general. Alexander linked some of the tension to DeVos’s nomination.

Despite the political climate, the nomination has received widespread attention and opposition. Senators have received numerous calls, rallies have been held, and anti-DeVos sentiment has spread through social media. Supporters argue that DeVos is an independent voice who advocates for better education opportunities for low-income children and that her nomination has been politicized.

Advocacy groups on both sides of the nomination have released statements after the vote. Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, criticized the GOP majority for moving DeVos’s nomination forward, citing her lack of qualifications and preparation for the role of Secretary of Education. Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and president of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, expressed his support for DeVos, stating her commitment to improving education and empowering states and parents.

The closely watched votes of Sens. Collins and Murkowski will play a significant role in deciding DeVos’s nomination. As moderate Republicans, their decisions may differ from the party line. While they respect the president’s authority to appoint members of the cabinet, they still have concerns about DeVos’s nomination.

She also expressed concerns regarding DeVos’s mishaps during the confirmation hearing on federal protections for students with disabilities. She was "taken aback and worried about Mrs. DeVos’s apparent lack of knowledge" about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Murkowski, during the January 17 hearing, continued to raise her concerns about DeVos’s vision of charter schools and private choice not being suitable for the public schools in rural, remote areas of Alaska.

According to the senator, DeVos has met with her twice and made several commitments, including visiting schools in Alaska. However, Murkowski stated that she has not fully gained her support yet.

The initial vote by the committee to advance DeVos’s nomination resulted in a 12-11 split. This led to a procedural dispute, with Democrats arguing that Hatch’s proxy vote should not have determined the final outcome when a tie was possible according to committee rules.

There was also a disagreement over whether the Democrats had raised their objections before the committee clerk announced the final tally. Subsequently, questions were raised about the validity of a second vote, which took place with Hatch present, as it did not comply with the requirement for advance notice of committee votes.

This parliamentary dispute also affected an amendment proposed by Democrat Patty Murray, which aimed to change the committee’s rules to mandate that cabinet nominees release their tax returns from the past three years. Murray argued that nominees should not be held to a lower ethical standard just because President Trump did not release his tax returns.

Given the complex financial entanglements and conflicts of interest exhibited by President Trump’s cabinet nominees, who are primarily millionaires, billionaires, and CEOs, Murray believed that the ethical bar should be raised.

Murray had previously requested DeVos to release her tax returns, but her amendment was defeated in a party-line vote.

Democrats and Republicans, particularly Alexander, continued to disagree about whether there had been sufficient vetting of DeVos’s nomination. Democrats argued that DeVos lacked a significant public record on education compared to previous education secretaries, such as Duncan and King. They believed that her nomination required additional review.

Alexander emphasized the extensive review process conducted for DeVos, highlighting the longer duration of public hearings compared to past education secretaries and the significantly larger number of questions she answered. However, Democrats deemed her responses insufficient and requested a third postponement to further examine nearly 1,400 written questions.

Despite a substantial ideological divide among individual members, the HELP Committee has traditionally fostered bipartisanship in its work. Alexander pointed to the committee’s accomplishments in passing the Every Student Succeeds Act and the "21st Century Cures" law as evidence of this spirit.

He expressed hope for a return to the committee’s collaborative approach in the future but acknowledged the current disagreements over process and the nominee. Alexander believed that it was time to express these divergences through a vote.

Murray, on the other hand, noted that it was the first instance she could recall where the committee voted despite the ranking member’s unresolved concerns about a nominee. She considered this a significant departure from the committee’s history of strong bipartisan cooperation, which would impact their ability to work together in good faith going forward.

Please note: The Dick & Betsy DeVos Family Foundation provided funding to from 2014 to 2016. Campbell Brown serves on the boards of both and the American Federation for Children, which was formerly chaired by Betsy DeVos. Brown did not contribute to the reporting or editing of this article.