Searching for someone with a fear of commitment? Look no further than Betsy DeVos, the newly confirmed Secretary of Education. Trump’s appointee, who has no experience running a bank or loan program (but will be in charge of a trillion dollar student loan bank and program), was officially confirmed on Feb. 7, despite two Republican senators (both women) defecting from the Republican caucus, a record-breaking number of calls and letters from furious constituents, an overnight attempt by Democrats to delay the vote, and an unprecedented tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President Mike Pence.
We’re baffled, too.
After DeVos was questioned by members of the Senate at her confirmation hearing, senators like Maggie Hassan, Tim Kaine, and Elizabeth Warren grew more and more frustrated by her inability to answer questions. DeVos evaded inquiries about sexual assault, special needs education, and fraud by declining to answer or citing irrelevant information. If you’re confused by the negative response to DeVos’s confirmation, we’ve outlined a few major areas of concern:
1. She couldn’t commit to protecting students from fraud.
Remember that time when Donald Trump created a fake university and had to pay $25 million to the students that he cheated? Apparently, it didn’t bother DeVos. After Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) pointed out a number of reasons why DeVos lacks the experience to be in charge of the country’s education system, she brought up the subject of waste fraud and abuse, and how DeVos would go about protecting taxpayer’s dollars as Secretary of Education. DeVos’s answers were less than reassuring, as she had no actual plan in place.
Though there are already rules in place (The Gainful Employment Rule, for instance) that protect students from being cheated by for-profit higher education institutions, DeVos could not commit to enforcing these rules. Below is a transcript from Warren’s questioning:
Warren: “Will you commit to enforcing these rules to ensure that no career college receives federal funds unless they can prove that they’re actually preparing their students for gainful employment, and not cheating them?”
DeVos: “Senator, I will commit to ensuring that institutions which receive federal funds are actually serving their students well.”
Warren: “So you will enforce the Gainful Employment rule to make sure that these career colleges are not cheating students?”
DeVos: “Uh, we will certainly review that rule-”
Warren: “Review it? You will not commit to enforce it?”
DeVos: “-And see that it is actually achieving what the intentions are.”
Warren: “I don’t understand about ‘reviewing’ it….There are already rules in place to stop waste fraud and abuse, and I don’t understand how you can not be sure about enforcing them.”
Watch the full Warren-DeVos hearing below:
2. She couldn’t commit to protecting campus sexual assault victims.
In 2011, survivors of sexual assault everywhere cheered when the Department of Education released official guidance which said that combatting sexual assault is not an optional choice for universities and colleges — our higher educational institutions are required to play an active role in the fight against rape and other forms of sexual violence.
But when Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) asked DeVos if she would commit to upholding this guidance, she responded with, “It would be premature for me to do that today.”
According to a widely-cited 2015 survey by the Association of American Universities (AAU), 23 percent of female college students have experienced unwanted sexual contact. In other words, roughly one in five women experience the trauma of sexual assault. Until now, universities and colleges were required to help combat these horrible statistics, but with DeVos in charge, don’t be so sure.
Watch the full interaction in the video below:
3. She couldn’t commit to requiring schools to meet the needs of students with disabilities.
If you’ve been following the DeVos drama, you’ve probably been hearing the term ‘voucher program’ pretty frequently. Vouchers are essentially scholarships provided by the state so that students can attend private school instead of public school, and both Trump and DeVos have stated their support for voucher programs.
However, the DeVos hearing sparked great concern amongst senators and parents of disabled children alike after she showed a complete lack of knowledge about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This federal law requires that schools provide disabled students with the services they need to succeed, and allows students with disabilities to attend public school.
Unfortunately, some voucher programs require that students with disabilities sign away their legal rights before receiving a voucher to attend private school.
Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), in an attempt to clarify DeVos’ stance on disabled student’s educational rights, asked the following question:
Caine: “Should all schools that receive taxpayer funding be required to meet the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act?”
DeVos: “I think that is a matter that’s best left to the states.
Caine: “So some states might be good to kids with disabilities, and other states might not be so good, and then what? People can just move around the country if they don’t like how their kids are being treated?”
DeVos: I think that’s an issue that’s best left to the states.”
Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) also expressed concern during DeVos’ confirmation hearing, since Hassan’s son suffers from severe cerebral palsy and was able to graduate from a public school because of IDEA.
“When students who experience disabilities receive a publicly-funded voucher to attend a private school, they often don’t receive adequate resources, and in some cases have to sign over their legal rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” said Hassan. “Will you enforce the law [IDEA] with regard to kids with disabilities if a voucher program did allow them to go someplace else, and the school said, ‘It’s just too expensive, we don’t want to do it’?”
DeVos responded by avoiding the question completely and talking about a voucher program in Ohio. Hassan persisted. “I want to know whether you will enforce, and whether you will make sure that children with disabilities do not have to sign away their legal rights in order to get a voucher, should a voucher program be developed.” Again, DeVos was unable to give a direct answer.
Tim Kaine’s questioning of Betsy DeVos:
Maggie Hassan’s questioning of Betsy DeVos:
While it’s disappointing to many that DeVos is now in charge of America’s education system, something positive did arise from her hearing: involvement. Thousands of emails and letters flooded into congressional offices from citizens opposed to DeVos’s nomination, including a woman who literally sent her congressman a pizza along with a “Please Vote NO on Betsy DeVos.” Hopefully, DeVos’ nomination will serve as an incentive to Americans to be informed and involved in U.S. electoral processes; if you want to do more about DeVos, click here.