Betsy DeVos’s confirmation vote on Tuesday is expected to be a first, one way or the other. Either she’s the first cabinet official in history to need the vice president to serve as a tie-breaker, or she’s Donald Trump’s first nominee voted down. Obviously, reasonable people want it to be the latter.
Two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, have said they’ll vote against DeVos, reportedly after ensuring that she had enough votes without them. Senate office phone lines have been swamped with calls urging other Republicans to vote against DeVos, with people reporting trouble getting through even to voicemail because staffers are having trouble keeping up.
The reasons to oppose DeVos keep piling up. She has no educational qualifications. She’s committed to destroying public education. And now, former White House ethics lawyers Norman Eisen and Richard Painter write:
Seldom have we seen a worse cabinet-level ethics mess than that presented by Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s choice for education secretary.
Her extensive financial holdings present significant—and unresolved—conflict of interest issues. She also failed to provide the Senate with accurate information about her involvement with outside organizations. We have regretfully come to the conclusion that these concerns disqualify DeVos for that cabinet position.
If you like public education, basic competency, or ethics, Betsy DeVos is a terrible choice. Your Republican senators need to hear from you. Call them now and urge them to vote against Betsy DeVos.