On the recordFebruary 6, 2017
I rise today to speak about the nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. I am here not only to reiterate my concerns about Mrs. DeVos but to share some of the letters and emails I have received from Hoosiers about her nomination. Every Hoosier and every American deserves access to a quality education. It prepares our students to enter the workforce, to secure good-paying jobs, and to succeed. As I have said, after reviewing the record of Mrs. DeVos, I believe she lacks the commitment to public education needed to effectively lead the Department of Education. I am deeply concerned that she will not focus on priorities important to Hoosier families: expanding access to early childhood education, improving our public schools, and addressing increasing student loan debt. Now I want to share some of the concerns I have heard from people all across Indiana about Betsy DeVos. A current undergraduate student at Purdue wrote to me, urging me to vote against Betsy DeVos. The student wrote as follows: I am concerned that she will cause major damage not only to our public K-12 schools, of which I graduated from, but also to federal student aid programs, which allow many of my fellow students and I to attend our nation's fantastic public universities. A mother of three children in Fishers wrote: I believe our democracy needs well-funded and accountable public schools for all. Mrs. DeVos demonstrates zero interest in supporting strong public education.…
Source
govinfo.gov