Here’s who voted for Betsy DeVos
Despite the fact that so many people called their Republican Senators and urged them NOT to vote for Betsy DeVos - Trump’s woefully unqualified nominee for Secretary of Education - the majority of Senate Republicans voted for her anyway.
But first, they engaged in some shenanigans that would enable them to force the unqualified nominee upon the American public - and all of the children who attend - or will attend - public schools.
On January 31, 2017, the Senators on the Health, Education, Pensions, and Labor Committee voted on Betsy DeVos. This Committee, like so many others, has more Republicans on it than it does Democrats. That’s not an accident - it is by design. The Senators voted on party lines for the unqualified nominee and that resulted in a vote of 12 -11. (More information on that HERE)
Next, the Senate Republicans voted for Cloture on DeVos’s confirmation. Cloture is a tool that Senators can use to prevent a filibuster on a nominee. There are 52 Republicans in the Senate, 46 Democrats in the Senate, and 2 Independents in the Senate.
The Republicans all voted on party lines, for a vote of 52-48. (More information on that HERE.
On February 6, 2017, the Democrats tried their best to Hold the Floor. They stayed up all night long, in an effort to give the American people more time to contact their Republican Senators and urge them to vote NO on DeVos. (More information on that HERE).
Also on February 6, 2017, the Senate did something kind of weird. They held a vote on “Motion to Instruct the Sgt-At-Arms to Request the Attendance of Absentee Senators”. In “plain English”, this means they voted to have a specific person go round up all the Senators who were not in the Senate shortly before the vote on Betsy DeVos.
This tactic has been done before, but it is uncommon. The Senate voted 91-4 on that motion. (More information on that HERE).
On February 7, 2017, the Senate voted on the confirmation of Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education. The vote was 50-50. It was a tie. Senator Susan Collins (Republican - Maine) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (Republican - Alaska) voted NO on DeVos.
It is worth noting that both of those Republican Senators voted YES on DeVos in Committee. If they would have voted NO then - that would have ended DeVos’s nomination (and the full Senate would not have held a vote on DeVos.)
The following Senators voted YES on the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education:
Here are the Senators who voted NO on the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education:
What happens when the Senate vote results in a tie? The Vice President gets to cast a vote and break the tie. The New York Times posted an article on February 7, 2017, titled “Betsy DeVos Confirmed as Education Secretary; Pence Breaks Tie”. From the article:
The Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos on Tuesday as education secretary, approving the embattled nominee only with the help of a historic tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence.
The 51-50 vote elevates Ms. DeVos - a wealthy donor from Michigan who has devoted much of her life to expanding educational choice through charter schools and vouchers, but has limited experience with the public school system - to be steward of the nation’s schools.
Two Republicans voted against Ms. DeVos’s confirmation, a sign that some members of President Trump’s party are willing to go against him, possibly foreshadowing difficulty on some of the president’s more contentious legislative priorities.
It was the first time that a vice president has been summoned to the Capitol to break a tie on a cabinet nomination, according to the Senate historian. Taking the gavel as the vote deadlocked at 50-50, Mr. Pence, a former member of the House, declared his vote for Ms. DeVos before announcing that Mr. Trump’s nominee for education secretary had been confirmed.
…For many in the education community, Ms. DeVos’s full-throated support for charter schools and vouchers - which allow students to use taxpayer money to pay tuition at private, religious, and for-profit schools - is symptomatic of her disconnection from the realities of the education system.
Neither Ms. DeVos nor any of her children attended a public school. She has never taken out a federal student loan, which is striking when considering she will head a department that is the country’s largest provider of student loans.
…In one notable exchange that spread across the internet, Senator TIm Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, asked Ms. DeVos whether all schools that receive public money should have to follow the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the landmark 1975 civil rights legislation. Under that federal law, sates and school districts are required to provide special education services to children with disabilities.
Ms. DeVos said the issue was “best left to the states.”
If you found this post to be informative, please consider giving me a tip! https://www.paypal.me/JenThorpe I am a freelance writer who has rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and severe allergies - and my Social Security Disability came was denied. Thank you!
blakekathryn
janainaart
origamiaround
stormborns
turnnoffyourmind
titsay
izzy806
andulkaphoto
tangentwithtanner
