Betsy DeVos encourages Education Department career employees to ‘resist’ Biden agenda

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos reportedly implored career officials at the Education Department to be a force of resistance amid the incoming Biden administration.

DeVos made her plea during a department-wide virtual meeting to government employees that she said will “be here through the coming transition and beyond,” according to audio obtained by Politico.

“Let me leave you with this plea: Resist,” DeVos said. “Be the resistance against forces that will derail you from doing what’s right for students. In everything you do, please put students first — always.”

DeVos told employees in the department that “in everything we accomplished was to do what’s right for students” and added that “four years later, it’s still my focus, and it’s still my hope for all of you.”

On Wednesday, Education Department spokeswoman Angela Morabito gave a statement to the Washington Examiner calling Politico‘s report misleading and provided DeVos’s statement with context.

“The Politico story, unsurprisingly, is misleading and missed the point. The Secretary urged the staff to always put students first, and resist anything that distracts from that mission. Too many in Washington for too long have put the needs of adults and the education ‘system’ first. Secretary DeVos worked tirelessly for four years to reorient the conversation around students, especially disadvantaged students, and she urged everyone to keep students at the center of every decision,” Morabito said.

According to Morabito, the full remarks say, “Ultimately, our aim in everything we accomplished was to do what’s right for students. That’s a notion that, from the beginning, I hoped would unite everyone in education. And it should. Four years later, it’s still my focus and it’s still my hope for all of you. As many of you will stick through the coming transition and beyond, I challenge you to keep your focus on students.”

“Keep your focus on their aspirations and their achievements. Many of you know well that most everything in this town, when it comes to education, is focused on schools — not students. So, let me leave you with this last plea: resist. Be “the resistance” against a familiar force that will distract you from doing what’s right for students. In everything you do, I hope you’ll always put students first. Thank you,” DeVos’s remarks continued.

Earlier this month, DeVos delivered remarks at the 2020 Federal Student Aid Virtual Training Conference, arguing that efforts to cancel student loan debts would place a burden on U.S. taxpayers, describing it as an “insidious notion of government gift-giving.” DeVos argued that free college would force universities to establish quotas for a smaller number of students and require others to pay full price. She said earlier it would prevent students from choosing their preferred degree program.

“In this sense, you are no longer counselors, but rationers. You’ll be forced to merely oversee rationing of state-approved, higher education options. After all, government doesn’t control anything only halfway,” she said.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include more context around DeVos’s remarks.

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