Yvette Clarke: “I thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman). Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the nomination of…”

“I thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman). Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. I know that my colleagues have been talking about their concerns with regard to the troubling nominations of Donald Trump, and I want to add my voice with respect to the Secretary of Education. About 90 percent of Americans--Republicans and Democrats alike--send their children to public schools; and as a proud graduate of the New York City public school system, I, myself, know firsthand of the importance of both primary and secondary education as part of early childhood and young adulthood. Most public schools in the United States are operated by the city, town, or county for the benefit of the public, and all of the resources that are allocated to public schools are used to support the development of students and to prepare them for success in the 21st century. Mr. Speaker, I believe Betsy DeVos has a very different approach to education, and that is extremely clear. She and her family, over the years, have devoted millions of dollars to replacing public schools in Michigan with charter schools, most of which have recorded test scores in reading and math that are well below the State average. Let me repeat that--most of which have recorded test scores in reading and math that are well below the State average.…”