Betsy DeVos' controversial road to confirmation as the next Secretary of Education has come to an end -- Vice President Mike Pence voted to break the tie in a dead-even vote on Tuesday.
Senators reached a deadlock with a 50-50 vote after hours of debate, requiring Pence to add his name to the list of supporters for DeVos.
The vote was the first time in American history where a Vice President has ever broken a tie over a Cabinet level position.
"Teachers unions orchestrated a historic disinformation campaign in an attempt to resist accountability and prevent reform, but in the end, their case for maintaining the status quo was rejected," said Ed Patru, spokesperson for DeVos. "Betsy DeVos’s confirmation marks a critically important shift in federal education policy: from now on, the needs of kids will supersede the political interests of adults, and education policies will be decided by states and local school boards, not Washington."
Florida's senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson split on the vote. Rubio voted to confirm her, while Nelson opposed.
DeVos has been perhaps the most controversial nominee for the Education Secretary position, in part because of her ties as a megadonor to the Republican Party and for having no public education experience.
Instead, DeVos has been a longtime advocate of school choice programs, a position which has long been in step with the GOP education platform. Her positions on school choice closely mirror Trump's $20 billion proposal to promote school choice nationwide.
Senate Democrats fiercely opposed DeVos' confirmation, holding a protest outside of the U.S. Capitol Monday evening before they spoke on the Senate floor all through the night, trying to convince just one more member to switch sides and oppose DeVos' confirmation.
President Donald Trump trashed Senate Democrats for their last-ditch effort to dump DeVos.
"Senate Dems protest to keep the failed status quo," he tweeted Tuesday morning. "Betsy DeVos is a reformer, and she is going to be a great Education Sec. for our kids!"
Teachers were one of the strongest driving forces opposing DeVos' nomination -- the National Education Association has been leading the charge against her confirmation since Trump announced the pick in November.
"Every senator has a unique opportunity to put students before all else," NEA president Lily Eskelsen García said before the vote.
School choice advocates in Florida had high hopes for DeVos as the nation's next education secretary, blaming opposition to her confirmation on teachers unions mobilizing against her. Bush, a longtime advocate of education issues in Florida, praised Tuesday's result.
“Millions of families share Secretary DeVos’s vision for disrupting a failed status quo that has denied too many children access to a quality education," he said. "It’s time to upend the entrenched special interests that put adults above genuine reforms that will raise student achievement."
Senators received millions of calls opposing DeVos' nomination, jamming up phone lines on Capitol Hill as the vote drew closer.
The NEA vowed to keep a close eye on DeVos as she navigates through her new position.
"We are putting Betsy DeVos on notice," NEA president Lily Eskelsen García wrote Tuesday afternoon. "We are going to hold her accountable on behalf of our more than 50 million students."
School choice serves many low income and minority students around the state, with nearly 100,000 students participating in Florida's Tax Credit Scholarship program. Businesses fund the program in exchange for tax breaks.
In Florida, education groups around the state said they were excited about the future with DeVos at the helm of the U.S. Department of Education.
"Today, parents and families won an advocate for their right to decide what is best for their child," said Florida Coalition of School Board Members president Shawn Frost. "As control is pushed back to the local level, school boards will find it easier to drive those same liberties back into the classrooms, so that teachers can get back to doing what they do best: teach. Today, school boards won the power to govern effectively and teachers won the freedom to teach."
Step Up for Students President Doug Tuthill told Sunshine State News Tuesday's confirmation was a big win for needy families and children around the country. SUFS administers the largest number of tax credit scholarships in the state.
“We’re looking forward to helping Ms. DeVos ensure all children have access to the learning options that best meet their needs, especially children from lower-income families," he said.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
