Betsy DeVos nomination for Education secretary clears Senate committee vote

USA TODAY NETWORK Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press and Greg Toppo, USA TODAY Published 5:33 p.m. ET Jan. 31, 2017 | Updated 42 minutes ago

WASHINGTON — President Trump's nomination of Michigan's Betsy DeVos to become his education secretary was sent Tuesday morning to the full U.S. Senate for confirmation on a tight 12-11 party line vote in committee after a fractious debate over her qualifications.

The vote on the nomination of DeVos, a controversial figure in Michigan political and education circles, raised hackles among Democrats, who argued at a contentious hearing two weeks ago and today's voting session that she knows too little about education policy and would undermine public schools.

But Republicans, in the majority in both the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the full Senate, defended her as being committed to children even if she has been a key supporter of school choice and vouchers — though two GOP members signaled that their votes in the committee today did not necessarily guarantee support on the Senate floor.

"We’ll see when she comes forward. I’ve expressed my concerns about her," said one of them, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who voted to advance DeVos' nomination but said she still isn't committed to a final confirmation vote, still having questions about her commitment to public schools and other issues.

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