Betsy DeVos is being careful.
The day after the Trump administration rescinded a May 2016 White House directive dictating transgender bathroom use, DeVos framed the decision primarily as an effort to roll back government overreach in her remarks at CPAC, echoing the administration’s overarching message on the issue.
Most conservatives, like the many gathered for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, would object first and foremost to the Obama administration’s decision to conflate gender identity with biological sex, or to the potential dangers the policy could pose to children.
When asked about the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the policy, DeVos began, “Well, I think the statement spoke for itself to a large extent.”
“But let me just say that this issue was a very huge example of the Obama administration’s overreach,” she continued, “to suggest a one-size-fits-all, federal government approach, top-down approach to issues that are best dealt with and solved at a personal level and a local level.”
If ever DeVos would have found a friendly audience to make a socially conservative case against the Obama administration’s policy, it would have been at CPAC.
Her decision instead to focus on the equally legitimate, but less prolific, argument about government overreach is notable.
Reports indicated DeVos was hesitant to rescind the order in the first place.
Donald Trump, of course, likes to position himself as a friendly figure to the LGBT community and in his first month made the decision to enforce an Obama-era order preventing discrimination on the basis of sexual identity in the workplace. His administration’s decision to frame the bathroom directive as a matter of overreach likely indicates their desire to remain moderate on issues related to the LGBT community.
Social conservatives who expected to have a champion in the Department of Education with DeVos, however, might want to take note of her decision to follow suit.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
