Sometimes I am so proud to be from Massachusetts.
OK, so the whole Mitt Romney thing was kind of cringe-worthy. I agree completely.
But now we have Senator Elizabeth Warren, outspoken critic of Trump and his minions. Senator Warren, the fierce defender of the progressive agenda on Capitol Hill.
The fiery Massachusetts liberal doesn’t hesitate to tell the truth and to lay it right out on the line. When Donald Trump stooped to calling her “Pocohontas” during the campaign, she hit him back with equal strength.
Now Senator Warren has turned her attention to upcoming string of confirmation hearings. As Republicans try to rush through these key hearings without all of the information the Senate needs, Warren has gone on offense.
This is ridiculous. @realDonaldTrump’s noms can’t drag their feet on ethics paperwork while their Senate friends try to run out the clock.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 7, 2017
She has joined Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in asking for the hearings to be delayed until the nominees have been cleared by the Office of Government Ethics.
Since it looks like that is not going to happen, Warren has turned her eagle eye on Betsy DeVos, Trump’s pick for Department of Education. DeVos has come under scrutiny by educators around the country. The two largest teacher’s unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association have mounted a campaign asking members to protest the appointment of DeVos.
DeVos is a Michigan billionaire who has made a reputation as an opponent of public schools. She pushed for Charter Schools and for taxpayer funded vouchers for private and religious schools. Her work in what she calls “education advocacy” has nearly decimated Michigan’s public schools.
Senator Warren is a strong advocate for high quality public education. She sent a letter to DeVos, laying out the questions that she’ll have for the nominee at the hearing this week.
The letter is typically polite, respectful and direct, just like the Senator herself. It starts off with congratulations, but moves quickly to the point. After describing the responsibilities of the Secretary of Education, Warren wrote this:
“Given that you have virtually no experience with these important responsibilities, your testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will be critical to assessing your readiness for the position.”
Bam. She is certainly not mincing her words, our intrepid Senator.
The letter goes on to state that “despite requests for more time to examine your views on education” the Senate leadership is determined to ram the hearing through as quickly as possible. Senator Warren outlined her concerns about DeVos and laid out exactly what it is she wants to know.
She also wrote:
“There is no precedent for an Education Department Secretary with your lack of experience in public education.”
As a Massachusetts resident, I am very proud of our Senator. As a retired public school teacher and the mother of a public school teacher, I am relieved and delighted to know that the next generation of students has at least one outspoken advocate on their side.
Oh, and if you want to know what credentials Betsy DeVos does that to make her the right person for this key post, it would have be the millions of dollars she has donated to Donald Trump. And to several of the Senators who will be responsible for confirming her.
You can learn more about Ms. DeVos in the video below.
Featured image via YouTube screengrab.
