I wish to thank the Senator from New Jersey, who has given us such a compelling reason to remind all of us why we are here at almost midnight and why we all intend to keep talking and keep working and keep trying to convince one more…

over the course of this debate, over the last 9 hours, plus 6 hours on Friday of the 30 hours that we have on this, many Senators have come to the floor to talk about their concerns about the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of…

over the last few weeks, people across the country have continued to make their voices heard in opposition to the nomination of Betsy DeVos--moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers, students young and old, and cities, towns, urban…

Well, I want to thank the Senator from Michigan for that question because it is at the heart of what this entire debate is about. We have a nominee who has come forward who is quite successful in private business--a billionaire…

The Senator is correct. The essence of what she has promoted and used her vast wealth for and has worked for throughout her experience is to take money away from public education and put it into private schools. Mrs. McCASKILL. So I am…

I yield for a question. Mrs. McCASKILL. I say to the Senator, it is my understanding that the essence of Mrs. DeVos's career has been an effort to impose on States programs--and now a Federal Government program--that will take money out of…

I thank the Senator for her question. I just want to say that she is absolutely right. The money is not magic. It doesn't just get printed to give vouchers to schools. It comes from our public schools. As she stated so eloquently, there…

Let me thank the Senator from Oregon for his question because he raises a very important point. No one is debating whether we want our kids to have a choice. The debate here is about whether or not those schools that take taxpayer dollars…

I stand here today to give a voice to the thousands of people who have contacted me in recent weeks urging me to vote no on this nomination. First, I need to express my frustration and outrage about what happened here on the floor last…

as I noted, Democrats have been here on the Senate floor for the past 24 hours straight, talking about the importance of public education, sharing stories from parents and students and teachers in our home States, highlighting all of the…

let me revise my request. I ask unanimous consent that we continue to have this conversation until a quarter to 12 p.m.; that at a quarter to 12, I will give my final remarks and divide equally the last 15 minutes so the chairman of the…

we have a number of Senators who have been on the floor who are here now and who would like to speak, and I ask unanimous consent that I continue this dialogue with Senators until a quarter to 12, and the last 15 minutes be equally divided…

I want to thank the Senator from Minnesota, who came the other night to talk passionately about her own mother, who was a teacher and her favorite course to teach was about the monarch butterfly and how she would come dressed up as a…

I deeply share the concern of the Senator from New Hampshire. She came to the floor last night to speak eloquently about the challenges that our students with disabilities have and the promise that this country has made now for decades…

I have had the opportunity over the last almost 24 hours now to hear from a wide swath of our Democratic conference speak out against the nomination because they feel so strongly that in this country public education is a core principle. I…

I thank the Senator from Ohio for his passionate remarks on this topic. I have had the opportunity over most of Friday and over the last 23 hours, to listen to my colleagues come to the floor and speak passionately about an issue they care…

again, I am on the floor, and I want to thank all of our staff and clerks and everyone who has been here throughout the last 20 hours. I thank everyone for speaking from their hearts about the issue of public education, why it is so…

Well, I thank the Senator from Hawaii for his question. He is absolutely right. I did ask Betsy DeVos, when she came before our committee, if she would commit to not privatizing our schools or cutting a single penny from public education…

I say thank you to the Senator from Minnesota, and I want to thank him for being a committed part of our committee, really helping us all recognize that this nominee is not qualified. I see the Senator from Hawaii who has, I believe, the…

I want to thank the Senator from Illinois, who is an amazing new and great Member of our Senate. She comes from Illinois. She comes from an incredible background and is asking a critical question about whether our students with…

I thank the Senator from Hawaii, and I think that is the question all of us should be posing to ourselves as we get down to the final few minutes. Is this the best of the best? Is this a knowledgeable candidate who understands the Federal…

I have been so impressed by the large number of Senators who have come to the floor to tell their stories of why public education is so personal and important to them and to their constituents. I want to thank all of the staff who were…

I wish to thank my many colleagues who have been here this morning to talk about this critical appointment, the Secretary of Education, who oversees all of our K-12 and higher education in this country. It is a principle so many of us care…

I am on the floor today to stand with parents, students, teachers, families, and communities across our country to make sure they have a voice to strongly oppose Betsy DeVos and her plans to privatize public schools and destroy public…

I ask unanimous consent that Dr. Anne Ordway, a fellow in my Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the first session of the 115th Congress. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without…