On Tuesday morning Georgia’s U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson and David Perdue both voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.
The vote in the Senate was a 50-50 with two Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska breaking from party ranks to cast ballots against the President’s nominee. That left the deciding vote to Vice President Mike Pence, who of course broke the tie in favor of DeVos.
The new Secretary of Education was a controversial figure among Trump’s cabinet picks, with many calling her unqualified for her lack of experience with public schools. A rough confirmation hearing did little to help her cause, as many Democrats leaped at the chance to keep her out of office. Conservatives on the other hand were enamored with DeVos’ record on charter schools and vouchers, two school choice initiatives that have been a favorite of Republicans not only in Georgia, but nationwide in recent years.
David Perdue, a longtime ally of DeVos, was behind her throughout the confirmation process. Last week he said in a released statement, “Both of my parents were school teachers and education is something very dear to me. Parents, teachers, administrators, and students all know that one-size-fits-all Washington education standards are not working and it is time to return control back to states and communities. Betsy DeVos shares these same beliefs. She has championed school choice and, as evidenced by her years of involvement, will work tirelessly to improve our education system. I was proud to support Betsy DeVos’ nomination and look forward to working with her to help all students succeed.”
Georgia Congressman Tom Price, Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services secretary, is expected to have his own confirmation vote early Friday. He, like DeVos, has run into opposition from Democrats in recent weeks following accusations that he has used his office to secure deals on medical stock purchases. Even with that token resistance though Price should be confirmed and move on to the monumental task of repealing Obamacare.
