Senate Committee Approves Pro-Life Trump Education Secretary Nominee Betsy DeVos

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jan 31, 2017   |   1:46PM   |   Washington, DC

A Senate committee has approved the nomination of pro-life Michigan school choice advocate Betsy DeVos for education secretary.

 As AP reports, “After a heated debate Tuesday morning, senators on the Health, Education, Pensions and Labor Committee have voted 12-11 along partisan lines to support DeVos’ nomination, sending it to the full Senate for action. But two prominent Republicans on the committee, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, are expressing their skepticism over DeVos. They say they are not yet sure whether they will vote for her on the Senate floor.”

“Murkowski says DeVos has yet to prove that she deeply cares about America’s struggling schools and its children. Murkowski says the nominee has not yet earned her full support,” AP added.

The DeVos name should ring a bell for pro-life as her husband Dick DeVos is a pro-life former candidate for governor and their family foundation has donated heavily to pro-life groups. The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation are strong supporters of pro-life organizations like Michigan’s Foundation for Traditional Values and Right to Life of Michigan. In total they have give millions to pregnancy centers, pro-life candidates and organlizations like march for Life and Americans United for Life.

DeVos was the chair of the Michigan Republican Party and finance chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Here is more from the Washington Examiner newspaper about DeVos:

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A DeVos family spokesman confirmed reports to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday that DeVos has accepted Trump’s offer. The DeVos appointment comes on a busy day of transition news for Trump: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was named the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Dr. Ben Carson said he would take a role in the administration, possibly as secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

DeVos was the chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party for years and in recent times has played a role in promoting charter schools in the state. She also served as the chairwoman to several education interest groups that promote school choice.

She is the founder of Great Lakes Education Project, a group that promotes school choice in Michigan’s Capitol and promotes great access to charter schools for children.

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