Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, is clueless about education. Her confirmation hearing was Tuesday evening, and she gave some interesting answers to their questions.
At one point in the hearing, DeVos said that she is in favor of having guns in school and that she supports President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal to ban “gun-free zones.” She gave the typical politician answer of leaving it up to the “locales and states to decide.” But then she also mentioned protecting against grizzlies… WTF?
This is not the only bad moment from the hearing. At another point, she got into a tense exchange with Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) over the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). She said that following this federal law should be left to the states, so schools can treat children with disabilities in different ways. Kaine asked:
“Should parents move around the country if their kids are treated badly?”
Of course, she evaded answering that one.
Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), whose son has cerebral palsy, asked DeVos about IDEA, and DeVos didn’t seem to understand it. Hassan grilled her about DeVos’ desire to enforce IDEA and stop students from having to sign away their rights to get the vouchers that DeVos is proposing.
Bernie Sanders grilled DeVos about money and making college more affordable.
Sanders asked:
“Some of us believe that we should make public colleges and universities tuition free so that every young person in this country, regardless of income, does have that option. That’s not the case today. Will you work with me and others to make public colleges and universities tuition free through federal and state efforts?”
DeVos evaded the answer with the classic Republican argument, “Someone’s going to pay for it.” Sanders pointed out that Republicans are in favor of lowering taxes on rich people. DeVos evaded again by saying she hopes families get “opportunities.” It’s not about opportunities, it’s about being able to afford an education. Now, many jobs require a college degree, but college is becoming too expensive for middle-class students to go.
Overall grade for this Trump appointee? F as in FAILED.
Featured image via YouTube screenshot.
