Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday blasted the process Republicans are using to get Betsy DeVos confirmed as the next education secretary, and complained on the Senate floor that DeVos is the worst choice imaginable for the job.
“It is difficult to imagine a worse choice to head the Department of Education,” she said on the Senate floor. “Betsy DeVos doesn’t believe in public schools. Her only knowledge of student loans seems to come to her own financial investments connected to debt collectors who hound people with student loans.”
Warren argued that in her confirmation hearing, DeVos showed she was “embarrassingly unprepared” to enforce federal education laws. That has “terrified families” that DeVos might not do enough to enforce laws that ensure people have equal access to education across the country.
Aside from having “no experience” with federal education law, Warren said DeVos is pushing to stay connected to companies that profit off federal education policy.
“That stinks,” Warren said. “This whole process stinks, at every step along the way, the Republicans have made it clear: No matter her inexperience, no matter her radical views, no matter her potential conflicts of interest, no matter her secrecy, no matter her blowing off basic anti-corruption practices, they will ram this nomination down the throats of the American people sideways.”
She also said DeVos would give banks the advantage over students by letting them charge more for student loans.
“If Betsy DeVos won’t commit to strengthening the federal student loan program and running it for students, then she is absolute unfit to be in charge of it,” she said.
DeVos is expected to be confirmed by the Senate Tuesday by about 12:30 p.m., after Democrats stay up all night to protest her nomination.
