Amy Klobuchar: “my mom was a second grade teacher, and she taught second grade until she was 70 years old. That was her life's work. I…”

“my mom was a second grade teacher, and she taught second grade until she was 70 years old. That was her life's work. I went to public school, and I sent my daughter to public school. It has really been the core of how I ended up in the Senate. After a close review of Mrs. DeVos's confirmation record and the hearing, I have concluded that, like all of my colleagues on the Democratic side and two of our colleagues on the Republican side, I cannot support her. I don't believe she is prepared for this job, and I don't believe she is committed to the kind of public education that got my family from an iron ore mine in Northern Minnesota to the U.S. Senate. My question of Senator Murray is that one of the most troubling examples of this lack of preparation came when Mrs. DeVos was questioned by my colleagues Senator Hassan, who just spoke, and Senator Kaine about whether schools should meet the standards outlined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. She said she would leave this decision to the States. As I noted yesterday, I occupied the Senate seat once held by Minnesota's own Hubert Humphrey. He was someone who, of course, was never at a loss for words. He delivered a speech at the Minnesota AFL-CIO 40 years ago, and one line of that speech is just as appropriate today as it was back then.…”