U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey has been unreachable by telephone, as voters sought to sway his vote on confirming Betsy DeVos as education secretary, according to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
His Washington, D.C., line was busy on Wednesday, the day of the Senate’s vote on President Donald Trump’s nominee.
Dana Kellerman, a veterinarian in the Pittsburgh area, tried calling more than 30 times Monday to the Pennsylvania Republican’s district and capital offices but got a busy signal or was directed to a voicemail that was full each time, the Post-Gazette reports.
“Senator Toomey does appreciate the feedback from folks across Pennsylvania,” his spokeswoman, Elizabeth “E.R.” Anderson, told lehighvalleylive.com on Wednesday afternoon.
‘Tuesdays with Toomey’ an open date for activists
Reports emerged Wednesday that Toomey was seen as a critical vote on DeVos, after two fellow Republican senators announced their opposition to her confirmation.
Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska both say they cannot support DeVos, a wealthy Republican donor and school choice activist.
Asked where Toomey stands, Anderson sent a tweet attributed to the senator saying: “I’m a big fan of Betsy DeVos. I will absolutely be voting for Betsy DeVos.”
PA @SenToomey “I’m a big fan of Betsy DeVos. I will absolutely be voting for Betsy DeVos”
— Jonathan Tamari (@JonathanTamari) February 1, 2017
Collins and Murkowski both said in Senate floor speeches Wednesday that DeVos’ commitment to the nation’s public schools is in question in light of her long-held support for vouchers and charter schools.
If all other GOP senators support DeVos as expected, and all Democrats oppose her, she would end up with a 50-50 vote in the Senate and Vice President Mike Pence would have to break the tie to confirm her.
Voters seeking to press Toomey on DeVos flooded posts on his Casinoslot Facebook unrelated to the nominee with statements critical of her nomination.
Also Wednesday, the Republican-led Senate confirmed Rex Tillerson as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state. Senators voted 56-43 largely along party lines to approve Tillerson’s nomination to be the nation’s chief diplomat.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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