Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Wednesday that they intend to vote against confirmation of President Donald Trump’s education secretary nominee, Betsy DeVos, giving Democrats two of at least three Republican votes they would need to block her appointment.
Both senators said that while they appreciate DeVos’s efforts to help at-risk children through advocating for vouchers and charter schools, they are concerned that DeVos lacks the experience needed to lead the nation’s public schools. DeVos has no professional experience in public schools, and she did not attend public schools herself or send her own children to them.
“She appears to view education through the lens of her experience of promoting alternatives to public education in Detroit and other cities where she has no doubt done valuable work,” Collins said. “I’m concerned that Mrs. Devos’s lack of experience with public schools will make it difficult for her to fully understand, identify and assist with those challenges, particularly for our rural schools in states like Maine.”
Murkowski said children in rural communities across Alaska depend on a strong public school system.
“I take very personally the success of Alaska’s schools and Alaska schoolchildren,” Murkowski said. “I believe that my colleagues here in the United States Senate and the many, many that they represent have the right to debate these questions.”
She added: “I conclude my remarks to make clear that my colleagues know firmly that I do not intend to vote on final passage to support Mrs. DeVos to be secretary of education.”
Forty-eight senators caucus with Democrats. If all of them vote as a bloc against DeVos, and if they are joined by Murkowski and Collins, the vote to confirm would be 50-50. In that event, Vice President Mike Pence — a staunch DeVos supporter — would cast the tie-breaking vote.
(c) 2017, The Washington Post · Emma Brown, Karoun Demirjian
