January 18, 2017

Wyden Announces ‘No’ Vote on Betsy DeVos to Head the Department of Education

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today announced he will vote against the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be the next secretary of the Department of Education.

“A bedrock principle of America’s public educational system is investing public money in schools meant to serve everyone, not siphoning off scarce taxpayer dollars to private or religious education. Unfortunately, the president-elect’s choice for Education Secretary has indicated she supports an approach that flies in the face of America’s long-time, common-sense investment in public education opportunities that recognizes education is an essential rung to climb the economic ladder.

“At her nomination hearing yesterday, Betsy DeVos also wavered on fundamental issues like keeping our students safe from gun violence, working to end sexual assault on college campuses, ensuring students with disabilities get a quality education and protecting all students against discrimination and harassment.

“For those reasons and others, I will be voting against the nomination of Betsy DeVos and I will be working to hold the next administration accountable for ensuring the safety of our students and keeping educational opportunities open to all.”

###