WASHINGTON — Democrats are planning a 24-hour talk-a-thon on the Senate floor Monday to try to sway one more Republican to sink the nomination of Betsy DeVos as education secretary.
“This nomination is dead even right now, on the razor’s edge,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) “…Democrats will hold the floor for the next 24 hours until the final vote to do everything we can to persuade just one more Republican to join us.”
The final vote is shaping up as 50-50, with all Democrats unified in opposition along with two of the 52 Republicans–Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
In kicking off the talkfest, Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer pleaded with one more Republican to put “country before party.”
“I ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to follow the courageous example of the senators from Maine and Alaska,” Schumer said in the Senate floor. “…I ask my Republican colleagues to look into their conscience and cast their votes tomorrow not based on party loyalty, but based on whether or not Ms. DeVos is qualified to be our nation’s leader on education policy.”
A 50-50 split would mean Vice President Mike Pence would cast the tie-breaking vote in the final tally Tuesday.
“I’m going to be called on … for the first time in American history as vice president to cast the deciding tie-breaking vote for a cabinet nominee,” Pence predicted on “Fox News Sunday.”
He blamed the close vote on Democratic “obstruction.”
“We are very confident that Betsy DeVos is going to be the secretary of education,” Pence added. “It would be my high honor to cast the deciding tie-breaking vote on the floor of the Senate.”
Opposition to DeVos has been fierce, with senators reporting their phone lines jammed with calls from liberals and teachers’ unions. Opponents view DeVos’s pro-charter school, pro-school voucher and pro-Christian school advocacy as a threat to public education.
Supporters say DeVos is just the person needed to disrupt the education system and focus more on what’s best for children and parents, rather than maintaining a federal bureaucracy. She’s getting an assist from former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s America Next conservative group which has been running TV ads in her favor.
“DeVos believes in giving families a choice, charter schools, online schools, parochial schools and outstanding public schools, Betsy DeVos will fight for equal opportunity in education for everyone,” the 30-second ad says.
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