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Senate Tied 50-50 on DeVos Vote, Dems Stage All-Night Effort to Block Confirmation

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

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  • Updated Feb 07, 2017

President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, has proved to be perhaps the most controversial of Trump’s cabinet picks.

In an effort to sway opinion against DeVos, Senate Democrats argued for 24-hours straight against her confirmation. The lawmakers reportedly took turns voicing their opposition to DeVos and arguing that she is not qualified to serve as Education Secretary.

According to CNN.com, currently the Senate vote is split down the middle, mostly on party lines. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) made waves when they decided to vote against DeVos, tying the Senate vote 50-50.

If the tie remains, Vice President Mike Pence would have to step in and cast the deciding vote.

Democrats, however, are holding out hope that they can get the one more vote they need to overturn DeVos’s confirmation.

"We may, in fact, have an additional Republican colleague voting 'no,' which would stop her tomorrow," Senator Debbie Stabenow told CNN's Erin Burnett "OutFront" Monday.

Democrats have criticized DeVos’s performance in her confirmation hearing and claim that she does not have adequate experience in public education. DeVos is known for her advocacy for charter schools and other education alternatives. She has also been criticized on her stance regarding guns in schools.

“You put those two things together, lack of compassion for what's happened to places like Sandy Hook and an inability to just understand the basic law around vulnerable students and it was clear at the end of that hearing that this was someone who shouldn't be the secretary of education," stated Democratic Senator from Connecticut Chris Murphy.

Republicans, however, believe DeVos will bring much-needed innovation and change to a failing education system. They remain confident she will be successfully confirmed and are committed to working for that outcome.

"We'll be burning the midnight oil," said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn.

 

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Publication date: February 7, 2017