[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 20 (Monday, February 6, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S694-S700]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Travel Ban
Mr. President, while I have the floor, I will just take another
minute or two to mention something else, as I have mentioned Vermont.
On February 1 of this year, Vermont welcomed 31 new U.S. citizens
from 14 countries through a naturalization ceremony in Rutland, VT.
Later that night, more than 1,000 people from our
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small city in Vermont gathered on our statehouse lawn--just a few feet
from where I was born and raised--in support of refugees and
immigrants.
We Vermonters understand what community means. It is a helping hand
in a time of need. It is a kind word in a moment of distress. It is a
welcoming embrace to calm a fear. We may be small, but in Vermont there
is no limit to our compassion.
As with each of our 50 great American States, immigration is a rich
part of Vermont's past. For decades, we have opened our communities to
immigrants and refugees. They have all become part of the fabric of our
State. They have enriched us with their diverse cultures.
Since the President signed his disgraceful Executive order that
stymied our immigrant resettlement program and sent a shameful message
to Muslims that they are not welcome in our country, I have heard from
hundreds of Vermonters. Compassionate Vermont-
ers, pleading that we continue our Refugee Resettlement Program and
welcome refugees of all religions, concerned Vermonters, anxious about
the threats to our Constitution's protected freedoms and rights,
nervous Vermonters wondering what next steps this administration will
take in the name of security, but are just rooted in politically
charged scare tactics.
Vermonters have already proven that we will not back down. Marching
in Montpelier and in Washington on January 21, Vermonters' voices were
heard. In candlelit vigils across the State, their empathy has been
seen. At the naturalization ceremony on February 1, Vermont's welcoming
spirit could be felt.
A man I admire greatly, Federal District Court Judge Geoffrey
Crawford, gave stirring remarks at that naturalization ceremony, and
the impact of those remarks are summarized by this one line, which he
directed particularly to our new Muslim citizens: ``You are equal in
the eyes of the law.'' Judge Crawford's message was simple: You are
welcome. You are equal. You are protected.
My fellow Vermonters inspire me every day. We should all take note
from their example of what it means to be patriotic Americans.
So I ask unanimous consent that Judge Crawford's remarks from the
February 1, 2017, naturalization ceremony in Rutland, VT, be printed in
the Record at the conclusion of my remarks.
I look at Judge Crawford. Frankly, I have no idea what either he or
the other Federal district judge's politics are. I just know they
uphold the law. We are fortunate in this country to have a Federal
court system made up of men and women of integrity, competence, and
independence.
I was shocked this weekend when the President of the United States
tried to demean the Federal judiciary, tried to downgrade an individual
Federal judge because he disagreed with him. And it was almost within
hours that he praised President Putin and tried to excuse the
assassinations--the assassinations--carried out in Russia against
journalists or those who disagreed with Putin--by saying: Well, that is
no different than our country.
Well, Mr. President, I am proud to be a citizen of the United States
of America, and we are different than Russia. You may have some
``friendship'' with Vladimir Putin, but let me tell you right now, show
some more respect to our country and to our Constitution.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Remarks of Judge Geoffrey Crawford at 2/1/17 U.S. Naturalization
Ceremony, Rutland, VT
Welcome--all of you--to your naturalization ceremony. You
will all leave here as American citizens. We are very happy
to include you among us. Let me take a moment to talk about a
few things.
First, although our theme today is one of welcome and new
beginnings, we should all start by considering both the
difficulties of the journeys you have made and the richness
of the backgrounds which you bring. First the journey. The
Latin poet Catullus said it best:
``Multas per gentes et multa per aequora vectus''
In English,
``Carried through many nations and over many seas''
Your journeys have not been easy. Some of you have left
family--all of you have left friends and the comfort of
familiar surroundings for this new place. Some of you are
refugees from lands which are broken by war. Today we honor
the commitment of our nation to welcoming and caring for
refugees. Some of you experienced hunger, illness and
hardship. All of you come in search of a better life. But it
would not be right to forget the value of the lives and
communities from which you come.
As we welcome you, we honor your heritage--your parents,
your culture, and the lands of your birth. You bring variety
and energy and new ideas to us. You know a lot that we do not
know. You have had experiences that we want to hear about. We
are lucky that you have chosen to make your lives here. We
need each of you because of what you will contribute to us--
your work, your ideas, your sense of humor, your food, your
children.
Let me speak directly about our new citizens who are
Muslims. What I have to say is simple: you are equal in the
eyes of the law. You are just as welcome here as citizens as
anyone else. Your faith and your right to worship are honored
and protected by our laws. We recognize that the Muslim faith
is ancient and learned and that it has contributed greatly
over more than a thousand years to our shared civilization.
Muslim citizens and residents have served America for more
than two centuries in military service, in scientific
research, in literature and the arts, in the professions, in
commerce, in labor--in all the ways that we all contribute to
the daily life of our nation. As Muslims, you have the same
right as any other citizen. These include protection from
discrimination on the basis of your relations and your
national origin and protection of your right to worship
freely. These protections are not empty promises. They form
part of our constitutional law. These protections are
enforced every day by our courts. But let me turn towards a
happier subject. This is a day of celebration. Today we
welcome you as our brothers and sisters, common citizens of
the county we all love and which you have chosen as your own.
What can you expect in the years ahead as American
citizens? Two things stand out: opportunity and individual
freedom. These are the values which have brought people like
your family and mine to America for more than two centuries.
Let's talk about both.
Opportunity means the chance to work, to go to school, to
find a way to support yourself which has meaning for you, to
have money for your family, to rent or buy a home, to educate
your children and some day to retire with dignity. Because
our economy is strong, there is room for you to find a place
which suits you. It is never easy, and there are many
disappointments along the way, but it is possible and
millions have succeeded before you.
This is a very open society for workers. One job leads to
another. Your first job is not going to be your last. You are
already in a select group--people who have chosen to come
here and have the drive and enthusiasm to join us as
citizens. The same energy which carried you through the
naturalization process will help you in your search for a
good job.
Now, let's talk about freedom. Freedom means the chance to
speak, assemble in groups, worship, and engage in politics
without fear of interference from the government.
If I can make one respectful suggestion, it is that you use
this freedom by getting involved in a cause or a committee or
a campaign. Maybe something local--like asking for a sidewalk
where one is needed--maybe national--like volunteering on a
political campaign. In case you haven't noticed, we are in
the middle of a presidential race this year. There is a
candidate for every possible political belief. I urge you to
take part in any way that suits your own convictions and
interests. Freedom is strongest when it is used, not when it
sits dusty on the shelf, and we welcome your involvement in
public life together.
People who are born in the United States sometimes take it
for granted. Like people anywhere. Or they concentrate on our
faults and the unfair things about our society. New Americans
such as you bring optimism. You would not have come if you
did not see the chance for a better life for your family. One
thing is certain--after the work to obtain citizenship, no
one here is going to take it for granted. I ask that in the
years ahead, you hold on to the hope and great expectation we
all share with you on this day.
Thank you so much for coming to join us today as American
citizens.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I yield the remainder of my time to Senator
Schumer.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Young). The Senator from Massachusetts.
Ms. WARREN. Mr. President, I rise today to call on my colleagues to
reject the nomination of Betsy DeVos as the next Secretary of
Education.
It is difficult to imagine a worse choice to head the Department of
Education. Betsy DeVos doesn't believe in public schools. Her only
knowledge of student loans seems to come from her own financial
investments connected to debt collectors who hound people struggling
with student loans. Despite being a billionaire, she wants the chance
to keep making money off
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shady investments while she runs the Department of Education. We need
someone in charge of the Nation's education policy who knows what they
are doing and who will put America's young people first, and that is
not Betsy DeVos.
Let's start with her record. Betsy DeVos has used her vast fortune to
undermine Michigan's public schools. She is sure she knows what is best
for everyone else's children, even though she has no actual experience
with public schools.
In Michigan, the K-12 policy she has bankrolled has drained valuable
taxpayer dollars out of the public schools and shunted that money into
private schools, sketchy online schools, and for-profit charter
schools. Even worse, DeVos believes these schools should get the money
with virtually no accountability for what these schools do with
taxpayer dollars. The results have been a disaster for Michigan kids.
Let's be perfectly clear. This is not a debate about school choice.
It is not a debate about charter schools. There are people on all sides
of this debate who are genuinely pouring their hearts into improving
educational outcomes for children. Massachusetts charter schools are
among the very best in the country, and they understand the difference.
Before her nomination hearing, I received an extraordinary letter
from the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association. The letter
outlines their opposition to Betsy DeVos's nomination, citing her
destructive record of promoting for-profit charter schools without
strong oversight for how those schools serve students and families.
People who work hard to build good charter schools with high
accountability are offended by the DeVos nomination. This abysmal
record is troubling because the Secretary of Education is responsible
for safeguarding the investments that the Federal Government makes in
public schools and for holding States accountable for delivering a good
education for all their students, especially those who need the help
the most.
The Secretary is also responsible for enforcing critical civil rights
laws, like the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, but Betsy DeVos's
confirmation hearing demonstrated to the entire world she is
embarrassingly unprepared to enforce these laws.
Her apparent unfamiliarity with these critical civil rights laws has
terrified families who have children with special needs, terrified
families in Massachusetts and all across the country. These parents are
afraid we could have an Education Secretary who doesn't even have a
basic understanding of the Federal laws that guarantee their kids a
chance to receive a public school education.
We still have a long way to go to make sure all kids in this country
have a shot at a decent education, particularly children living in
poverty, children of color, children with disabilities, and children
who are immigrants or refugees. That is why the Federal Government got
involved in education in the first place, to make certain that all of
our children, not just some of them but that all of our children get a
chance at a first-rate education.
Public education dollars should come with some basic accountability
for how that money is spent and some basic expectations about what we
get in return for these investments, not just doled out to some for-
profit school that doesn't even meet basic standards in educating our
children. This is also true in higher education, where the financial
stakes are huge for America's college students.
The Department of Education is in charge of making sure that the $150
billion that American taxpayers invest in students each year through
grants and loans gets into the right hands and that students get an
education that will help them pay back their loans.
The student aid program is not well understood, but it is vitally
important to get it right because $1 trillion of student loan debt
currently out there will impact the future of an entire generation.
Betsy DeVos has no experience in higher education. During her
confirmation hearing, I gave her the opportunity to show that she is at
least serious about standing up for students. I asked her basic,
straightforward questions about her commitment to protecting students
and taxpayers from fraud by these shady for-profit colleges. Her
response was shocking. She refused to commit to use the Department's
many tools and resources to keep students from getting cheated when
fraudulent colleges break the law.
In her responses to my written questions, she even refused to commit
to doing what the law requires by canceling the loans of students who
have been cheated by lawbreaking colleges. An Education Secretary who
is unwilling to cut off Federal aid to colleges that break the law and
cheat students would be a disaster for both students and taxpayers.
Betsy DeVos's refusal to guarantee debt relief for defrauded students
could leave thousands of Americans saddled with student loan debt that
by law they are not required to pay.
Betsy DeVos also refused to rule out privatizing the Direct Loan
Program. Think about this. As if our students don't have enough
problems already, DeVos is ready to let Wall Street banks get their
claws into our students and start charging extra profits on top of the
already high cost of student loans.
If Betsy DeVos won't commit to strengthening the Federal student loan
program and running it for students, then she is absolutely unfit to be
in charge of it.
I am also deeply concerned about the conflicts of interest and
potential government corruption if Betsy DeVos is allowed to take the
reins of the Department of Education. Betsy DeVos is a
multibillionaire, and that is fine, but for her, that is apparently not
enough. She already makes money off of several businesses that could
profit from decisions she makes as Secretary of Education--several
businesses, at least, that we know about. She said she will get rid of
the ones we know about, but she wants to keep her family trusts and
whatever investments two of them hold a secret--a secret from Congress
and a secret from U.S. taxpayers. She says she doesn't have to follow
rules that everyone else follows and tell the Senate what her
investments are or what they will be in those secret trusts. I want you
to think about that for just a minute. She already has billions of
dollars, but she won't give up her secret trust and her chance to make
investments that could create conflicts of interest while she is
running the Department of Education? Who exactly does Betsy DeVos want
to help out--the young people of America or her own bank account?
You know, I really don't get this. I disagree with her education
policy, but the one thing we ought to be able to agree on is that no
one, especially not some billionaire, ought to keep investments that go
up or down in value depending on the decisions she makes while she has
a job working for the U.S. Government. Because of that concern, I wrote
a letter with several of my Democratic colleagues to raise concerns
about her potential conflicts that aren't clearly resolved by her
public ethics agreement. We asked her some simple questions about the
lack of financial transparency and the shady investments she plans to
keep while she has a government job. What did we get back? Nothing.
Zero. Bupkes. She thought our basic questions about ethics weren't even
worth an answer. That stinks. This whole process stinks.
At every step along the way, the Republicans have made it clear that
no matter her inexperience, no matter her radical views, no matter her
potential conflicts of interest, no matter her secrecy, no matter her
blowing off basic anti-corruption practices, they will ram this
nomination down the throats of the American people sideways. Here are
just a few egregious examples.
First, committee Democrats were allotted 5 minutes--5 minutes total--
during her hearing to question Betsy DeVos on her troubling record.
Republicans suddenly invented a new rule that we couldn't ask
additional questions. This is an important job. I asked President
Obama's Secretary of Education multiple rounds of questions, and he had
led a public education system in the past, but I guess when a
Republican nominee and megadonor is in line to run education policy, we
are supposed to fall in line and keep quiet.
Second, breaking with standard practice and what we did for President
Obama's Education nominees, we were
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forced to hold Betsy DeVos's hearing before the ethics review of her
billions was completed. The complicated ethics review raised a ton of
additional questions, but we got absolutely no chance to question her
about it.
Third, Betsy DeVos is the first nominee ever to go through the HELP
Committee who has flat-out refused to fully disclose her financial
holdings. She will be the first nominee in recent history to hold
secret trusts. She was supposed to complete a form that requires
nominees to list in detail all of their assets, investments, and gifts
so that the committee has a full understanding of the nominees'
potential conflicts of interest. No, she wants to keep many of her
holdings in a family trust a secret, so she just won't tell.
Fourth, Republicans ignored and overrode the rules of the Senate in
order to barely squeeze the DeVos nomination out of committee as
quickly as possible. And now, with at least 50 Senators--Democrats,
Republicans, and Independents--publicly opposed to this nomination, the
Republican leadership has rigged the vote so that Senator Sessions can
drag her across the finish line just before he is confirmed as Attorney
General. Why is Senator Sessions even voting on this nomination? It is
a massive conflict of interest. As the AG, Sessions will be responsible
for enforcing the law against DeVos if her cesspool of unresolved
financial conflicts results in illegal behavior, but apparently the
Republicans just don't care.
Let's face it: The Republican leadership wants DeVos, and they are
willing to ignore her hostility to public schools, willing to ignore
her indifference to laws that protect special needs kids, willing
to ignore the giant ethical cloud that hangs over her--ignore it all so
that billionaire and Republican campaign contributor Betsy DeVos can be
Secretary of Education. The American people can see what is happening
here.
I commend my Republican colleagues, Senators Collins and Murkowski,
for standing up for what is right and saying they will vote against
Betsy DeVos's nomination on the floor. I know how difficult it can be
to stand up for what is right even under overwhelming pressure from
your own team to just keep your head down and go with the flow. They
have been listening to the teachers and parents in their States, and I
deeply respect their principled opposition to this nomination.
I have also heard from thousands of teachers, parents, and education
leaders in Massachusetts raising deep concern about Betsy DeVos's
nomination. I hear their concern, and I share their concern.
You know, this isn't just politics, this is deeply personal. It is
personal for me. My first job out of college was as a teacher. I taught
little ones, children with special needs, in a public elementary
school. I have never lost my appreciation for the importance of strong
public education because I have seen how public education opened a
million doors for me, and I know it opens doors for young people in
Massachusetts and all across this country. I believe that strengthening
America's public schools is critical for securing a better future for
our children and for our grandchildren. I also understand the vital
role the Secretary of Education plays in making sure every young person
has real opportunities and a fighting chance to succeed.
We are one vote away from making sure this job is not entrusted to
Betsy DeVos. One vote. We need just one more Republican to stand up for
the children of America, to stand up for public education, to stand up
for college students, to stand up for basic decency and honesty in
government. With just one more Republican, we can say this Senate puts
kids ahead of partisan politics. With just one more Republican, we can
say this Senate still cares about public officials who put the public
ahead of their own interests. Just one more Republican, that is all we
need. Just one.
I assumed that the rush to complete this nomination has something to
do with the fact that Republicans' phones have been ringing off the
hook from citizens who are outraged by the idea of this nomination.
Before these Republicans decide whether to help Donald Trump reward a
wealthy donor by putting someone in charge of the Department of
Education who doesn't really believe in public education, I want them
to hear from the people of Massachusetts, the people who on their own
have contacted me about this nomination.
I have received countless letters and calls from constituents in
Massachusetts, including a batch of letters from a new local grassroots
organization--Essex County #6 Indivisible--that is very concerned that
Betsy DeVos is a danger to our schools. So I just want to share a few
of those letters with my colleagues right now.
I heard from Matt Harden, who is a teacher from Plymouth, and he
wrote this:
I have been a teacher for fifteen years and a parent for
seven. I feel incredibly proud of the schools in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and view my position as a
music educator not simply as a job but a vocation. The recent
referendum in the Commonwealth regarding the expansion of cap
on Charter Schools was soundly defeated by the electorate. I
have grave concerns about Ms. DeVos and her ties to corporate
interests in education. Schools are not businesses, and
students are not products on an assembly line. This line of
thinking is a clear and present danger to our students, and
reflects a lack of familiarity with the public education
system.
In this matter, my concerns are not limited to the borders
of our own state but the equitable access to education across
our nation. Ms. DeVos is not the right person to be an
intellectual and educational leader for our nation--we need
real change and ideas, not privatization and politicization
of our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
I also heard from Alexandra Loos, a special education teacher from
Cambridge. She had this to say:
I am a special education teacher who works with children
with developmental disabilities, and I urge you to vote
against the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of
Education.
I have grave concerns about the qualifications of Ms. DeVos
due to her lack of experience in the public education system
as well as her record of support for charter and private
schools that are not obligated to follow Federal education
standards or guidelines.
Most urgently, as a professional who specializes in
evaluating and treating children with autism, Down syndrome,
learning disabilities, ADHD, and other developmental and
behavioral disorders, I am extremely concerned about Ms.
DeVos's apparent lack of understanding of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal law that
guarantees ``a free and appropriate public education'' to
children with disabilities. During her confirmation hearing
this week, Ms. DeVos appeared to be unfamiliar with IDEA . .
. stating that she felt that enforcement of this federal law
should be left up to the states. This is unacceptable and
clearly indicates that Ms. DeVos is unqualified to serve as
Secretary of Education.
With approximately 13% of public school children in special
education, it is essential that an Education Secretary be
knowledgeable and supportive of the federal laws that guide
special education services. Please vote ``no'' on Ms. DeVos's
confirmation.
Yes, Alexandra. Yes.
My office also heard from Diana Fullerton, a school adjustment
counselor from Salem. Diana said she had never written to a politician
before, but she felt strongly enough about Betsy DeVos to write:
I am a school adjustment counselor in an elementary school
in Gloucester. I have never gotten involved much in politics
until this election. I went to the Boston Women's March on
Saturday and this is my first time writing to a politician. I
am extremely concerned about Trump's nomination for Secretary
of Education, Betsy DeVos. In my work I support students who
are very vulnerable: on IEPS, in high-poverty environments,
identifying as gay or transgender, and coming from
backgrounds where English is a second language. I believe
that Ms. DeVos' extreme and uneducated positions on the needs
of students in public schools could harm my children. Please
vote against her nomination as Secretary of Education.
Thanks, Diana. I will.
I heard from another teacher from Newton, who said:
I am opposed to Betsey DeVos as the next Secretary of
Education. I have spent my entire life as a teacher--first in
public and private schools for 14 years teaching French, then
as a member of the faculty of Lesley University for 26 years,
and now as a teacher in a Life Long Learning program at
Brandeis. I cannot imagine having a Secretary of Education
who has never had any direct educational experience. I am
also very worried about her views of public education and her
appalling record on civil rights. Strong education is the
foundation of our democracy. Please do what you can to
maintain and improve our current system.
Thank you.
Yet another teacher contacted our office, this one from Abington. She
wrote:
I believe in my community's public schools. In fact, I've
worked in them as a
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teacher for over 15 years. The nomination of Betsy DeVos has
me seriously considering a change of employment. Betsy DeVos
believes in school privatization and vouchers. She has worked
to undermine efforts to regulate Michigan charters, even when
they clearly fail, and yet she has never worked in a school.
The marketplace solution of DeVos will destroy our
democratically governed community schools. Her hostility
toward public schools disqualifies her. I am asking you to
vote against the confirmation of Betsy DeVos.
We also heard from parents all across the State, including Leslie
Boloian, a mother from Andover. Leslie said:
I am a mother of an 8 year old who is dyslexic. She is
smart and very capable of learning what other kids can learn;
however, she needs specialized education. Through the public
school system, she is learning to read and continues to reach
new milestones daily. I fear that Betsy DeVos could put my
daughter's education at risk.
I urge you to oppose Secretary of Education nominee Betsy
DeVos, who is best known for her anti-public education
campaigns!
The chance for the success of a child should not depend on
winning a charter lottery, being accepted by a private
school, or living in the right ZIP code. It is our duty to
ensure all students have access to a great public school in
their community and the opportunity to succeed. Betsy DeVos
has consistently worked against these values, and her efforts
over the years have done more to undermine public education
than support all students.
Betsy DeVos has no experience in public schools, either as
a student, educator, administrator, or even as a parent. She
has lobbied for failed schemes, like vouchers to fund private
schools at taxpayers' expense. These privatization schemes do
nothing to help our students most in need, and they ignore or
exacerbate glaring opportunity gaps.
We need a Secretary of Education who will champion
innovative strategies that we know help to improve success
for all students, including creating more opportunities and
equity for all. Betsy DeVos is not that person, and I urge
you to vote against her for Secretary of Education.
Thank you, Leslie.
Kate Brigham, a mother from Somerville, also wrote. She said.
My name is Kate Brigham, and I am a constituent of yours
from Somerville. . . . I'm writing to urge you to vote
against Betsy DeVos' confirmation as Secretary of Education.
The future of our kids here in Somerville and across the
country are depending on you to see the difference between
education progress and privatization.
The majority of America's school children attend public
schools. We cannot leave their futures and the future of our
country in the hands of a woman whose ideas to privatize
school funding have already left the state of Michigan and
its children in shambles. Her personal financial conflicts of
interest are staggering.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act--which
DeVos did not know was a federal law--guarantees rights to
both students with disabilities and to their parents. So this
isn't just about civil rights; it's also crucial to families.
We cannot afford a Secretary of Education who's ``confused''
on what the law is. My own 2-year-old daughter benefits from
MA's wonderful Early Intervention program and will need
special education services when she turns 3 in September.
IDEA and the ADA were both signed into law by Republican
Presidents. Disability rights are not and cannot become a
partisan issue. Thank you for ensuring that public education
for ALL will be protected. Somerville, and Massachusetts,
needs it. And we won't succeed with Betsy DeVos as Secretary
of Education.
Thank you, Kate. Thanks for writing.
Samantha Lambert, a mother of four from Everett, also contacted us
with her concerns. Samantha wrote:
I am a voter from MA who has struggled with the change
coming as a result of this election. . . . It is difficult to
focus when there is a new outrage at every turn.
No one frightens me more than Betsy DeVos. Why? The impacts
of her ignorance and disdain for public education will remain
with us for a generation. I have 4 children, all educated in
the Everett Public School System, one of whom benefits from
Special Education.
We have one opportunity to get it right with our children.
I was asked by a conservative friend who was curious why this
appointment brought such a backlash, and the answer was
simple for me. Our job is to protect our children, the
nation's children. Those unable to influence their future
with a vote. There is no mandate for the destruction of our
most treasured institution, the foundation of our democracy.
My son deserves a free and fair education, as do his
siblings. As do their peers. The children in our school
district are in the lower socioeconomic rung. Many rely on
public transportation and neighborhood public schools. That
takes the choice out of school choice, doesn't it? It favors
students on economic lines, furthering the divide and putting
an undue burden on the schools left behind who will struggle
to serve the students that need this gift of education most.
The public hearing demonstrated that Mrs. DeVos is wholly
unqualified for this appointment. Her answers or lack of
answers, specifically regarding IDEA and school choice, were
frightening. As a parent, I was literally shaking.
My nine-year-old son was listening to a portion and heard
Senator Hassan mention dyslexia in her question. He cheered
and asked if we were going to make sure all kids get special
help to read. I couldn't answer him because in her answer,
Mrs. DeVos seemed not to know that IDEA is a Federal law
protecting these beautiful minds. Protecting them from being
a line item that can be wiped away, their future successes
and achievements going right along with it.
I ask you, please oppose Betsy DeVos for Education
Secretary, for the good of ALL our nation's children.
Thank you, Samantha. Thanks for writing.
We also heard from Laura Fukushima, a mother and former teacher from
Dedham. She wrote to say:
Before having my own children, I taught in public schools
for five years--three in Boston and two in Tennessee (Sumner
Country)--and I'm writing to ask you to vote against
confirming Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education.
It's evident that Ms. DeVos is passionate about education--
judging from the enormous amounts of money she has poured
into shaping policy--and I have no reason to doubt her
intentions are good. But that doesn't qualify her for this
job. Here are my concerns:
1) Aside from having no experience in public schools,
either as a parent or a student, she has no experience in any
kind of school as an educator.
2) At her confirmation hearing, she demonstrated a lack of
basic understanding of many pertinent issues and concepts--an
intimate knowledge of which is required to shape good
educational policy.
3) Despite lacking both the prerequisite knowledge and
experience within the field of education, she actively used
her wealth to sway legislators in Michigan away from their
initial support of bipartisan measures, based on a broad
coalition of informed participants, to regulate and improve
charter schools. (For the record, I do support charter
schools, but understanding that there is a vast disparity in
their quality, I see the need for rigorous oversight.) Her
efforts, I believe, have been more detrimental than
beneficial to the children of Detroit.
4) Her suggestion that enforcing IDEA should be left to the
states is very troubling. Such policy would leave our most
vulnerable students very far behind.
While I agree with Ms. DeVos that our educational system
would benefit from some additional choice for parents, I
think she's wildly mistaken if she believes a completely free
market will fix our schools. We need a Secretary of Education
who believes in proper oversight and can help create
effective measures of assessment and accountability to
improve education for all our children. That's what the
Department of Education is for. To run it successfully, we
need a Secretary, unlike DeVos, who is well trained in the
field.
Thank you, Laura.
A mother from Clinton also wrote about how she would be personally
affected by Betsy DeVos, saying:
I have an 8-year-old daughter with Autism Spectrum Disorder
who receives services through our public elementary school. I
believe that every individual deserves an equal education.
IDEA must be upheld! My daughter is doing very well with her
studies because of the supports she receives. She is a very
smart girl but needs and deserves accommodations. I am
thankful there are laws to protect her.
Betsy DeVos thinks that states should decide how to fund
education for individuals with disabilities. I believe it
should remain federally mandated. I wouldn't be able to
afford a private education for my daughter in a special
school. I know there are many more parents like me.
I also opposed expanding Charter schools in our state. I
believe publicly funded schools should be publicly run and
overseen.
I request you reject Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary.
Thank you.
Another parent wrote to say:
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the
confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. She
has demonstrated NO commitment to public education throughout
her life, and her support of charter schools in Detroit has
been a demonstrated failure. The framing of for-profit
charter schools as providing ``choice'' for parents is a
false framing--it provides the illusion of a poorly regulated
and poorly supervised choice for some parents while limiting
the resources and choices left to the other parents and
leading to a downward spiral in the quality of public
education. Transferring public funding of education to for-
profit charter schools, creaming off the children of the most
motivated parents, and leaving the more difficult, lower
income, and children with special education challenges is a
prescription for failure of public schools and will result in
herding lower-income students into dysfunctional schools,
setting them up for a lifetime of underemployment.
I am not a teacher, nor a member of a teacher's union. I am
a mother, and I was
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proud to send my son to the Brookline Public Schools for his
entire K-12 education. I want other children to have a chance
for a quality education, not to be the fodder for a private,
for-profit charter school with no commitment to the public
good.
Quality public education is the foundation of a free
society and the key to sustaining a vibrant economy in the
future. Please oppose the confirmation of Betsy DeVos.
A woman from Canton also wrote in. She said:
As a parent of public school children, I urge you to reject
the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. A
free and appropriate education is the cornerstone of our
democracy, but Ms. DeVos has shown no interest in preserving
public education. In fact, she has worked tirelessly to
divert public funds into private pockets by way of
deregulating and expanding charter schools and to offer
vouchers which can be used at private and religious schools.
This is a clear violation of our principle of separating
church and State.
Ms. DeVos's strategies have had disastrous consequences in
Michigan. Eighty percent of charter schools there operate for
profit. When schools look first to satisfy investors, they
rely on teaching to standardized tests, not on educating
children. Here in Massachusetts, we overwhelmingly rejected
the idea, one funded by billionaires, and resisted by parents
and public school teachers.
Please join us in opposing a ``lead educator'' who has
never gone to a public school nor sent her children to one.
Please consider that the nation's future depends on educating
every child, and that to do so, we need to restore and
strengthen our public school system, not dismantle it in
favor of profiting off the backs of our youth.
Thank you.
It is no surprise that we also heard from many constituents
struggling with student loans. One of those was Liam Weir, a college
student from Brighton, who had this to say:
As a college student and a resident of the State of
Massachusetts, I am writing you to express my deep concern
over the potential appointment of Betsy DeVos to the position
of Secretary of Education. Ms. DeVos is extraordinarily
unqualified to lead such a department. The fact that the
President has chosen such a person, with no experience in
education administration in any capacity at any level, is an
insult to the millions of teachers, students, and school
administrators across the country. Ms. DeVos's policies will
undermine already struggling public school systems by
allocating taxpayer funds to advance a cynical and deeply
troubling agenda against established science. I myself am a
recipient of Federal college grants and loans, and I am
growing increasingly concerned about Ms. DeVos's competency
in managing the looming student debt crisis.
Now more than ever is a time for the Education Department
to be run by capable and caring individuals, not willfully
ignorant ones.
A young mother from Winthrop also reached out to us. She had this to
say:
I urge you to vote No on the confirmation of Betsy DeVos, a
singularly unqualified individual . . . among a veritable sea
of unqualified individuals this administration has chosen to
lead our country.
My husband and I have no personal stake in public education
over the next 4 years. Our daughter is only 7 months old. But
I am the child of two public schoolteachers in RI, my friends
are teachers, my friends' children are in school, my nephews,
cousins, etc. I believe in public schools and I believe that
Betsy DeVos is not the right direction for our public
education system. She is dangerous, and her lack of knowledge
is appalling.
Also, and I thank you so much for asking about this at her
hearing--student loans are not a business, they are a crisis
in this country. My husband has a six figure debt, with
interest rates at 7.5 percent. He had to take a job . . .
rather than pursue his dreams of working in criminal justice
because he needed a job that could pay his $1,000 a month
student loan bill. Our saving grace is that I have a good
job, and my student loan debt is nearly paid off--because I
was loaned a reasonable amount at a reasonable 2 percent
interest rate. We are a case study in how the program should
work vs. predatory lending.
That is so true. Thanks for writing.
Liz Bosworth, a mother of two from North Dartmouth, had this to say:
While I am fully aware that you do not support the
nominations for many of President Trump's nominees, I am
currently most concerned about Ms. DeVos. I watched parts of
her hearing and I remain concerned that there was a denial
for a second hearing. I hope this leads to continued
questions and a final opposition of her as Secretary of
Education. Your lines of questioning served to highlight her
lack of qualifying experience but still, in light of this
last six month's politics, I believe anything is possible.
As the mother of two small children and a daughter-in-law,
niece, cousin, friend, and wife of public school teachers, I
find her to be quite alarming and somewhat scary as the
potential leader of that office. We are strong proponents of
public education and of teaching our children to value their
time in school and to achieve high levels of success.
With that comes some anxiety around their aspirations to
higher learning. As a master's level social worker, I will be
paying off my loans until I start to pay for my son's higher
education. I do not want the debt for my children that I
have. At this rate, I am saving far much less money per month
for their college funds while paying off my own. I want my
children to go higher than myself, but I want them to do so
with a level of confidence in their finances that I was not
afforded. Ms. DeVos, highlighted by you in her confirmation
hearing, has not been involved with student loans on any
level and does not have the experience to become entrusted
with my current debt or the debt of my children.
Finally, I would like to highlight my abject fear of the
treatment of those students with learning disabilities,
particularly severe and profound disorders, if she is
confirmed. While I see many walks of life in my field, my
mother was a proud special education teacher in New Bedford
for 33 years. She was proud to be able to teach life skills
like budgeting, simple cooking and social skills to her
students who may not ever be college ready. We worry about
those kids and what will become of them if Ms. DeVos is
confirmed. My husband is currently employed in a
collaborative that works with mentally ill children who need
a different kind of educational process but can still achieve
the same goals. I am not sure they would ever qualify for a
voucher to attend some Charter school.
We are committed to families and community maintenance of
all students with the right care at the right time. I am not
sure that Ms. DeVos is committed in the same way.
Please vote to oppose Ms. DeVos.
Thank you, Liz. Thanks for writing.
I heard from another student in Boston who told me the following:
I am writing to you today as a public school teacher and a
Ph.D. Candidate in Urban Education, Leadership and Policy
Studies. I believe in public schools. Betsy DeVos believes in
school privatization and vouchers. She has worked to
undermine efforts to regulate Michigan charters, even when
they clearly failed. The ``marketplace'' solution of DeVos
will destroy our democratically governed community schools.
She has no professional experience in the education field.
She does not truly understand the nuances of public education
nor does she want to understand.
I managed to earn scholarships that took care of most of my
schooling, but I still have about $80,000 in student loans.
(Not bad for 2 expensive private institution degrees!) I am a
first generation college student and my single mother could
not afford to help me pay for my schooling. Betsy DeVos just
doesn't have experience in K-12 public schools, but she has
no experience in running the student loan department. The
Federal student loan program is far from perfect. We need
someone running it who is knowledgeable in the process,
believes in making college more affordable, and understands
what it feels like to not be sure how you will pay for
college. She has no qualifications of any kind in this area.
I am asking you to vote against the confirmation of Betsy
DeVos. Please consider this request and the thousands of
other people across the country who vehemently disagree with
Ms. DeVos's candidacy.
Thank you.
Sarah Rothery, a mother of two from Northborough, told me about her
two sons, saying:
I am writing to ask that you oppose the confirmation of Ms.
DeVos for the cabinet position for which she was nominated
under President Trump. I have put 2 sons through college
thanks to Stafford loans and personal savings and I think she
has no idea what is involved in middle class families
financing college educations today. One of my sons is now an
8th grade history teacher in a public charter school, Abbot
Kelly Foster, in Worcester, and worries that Ms. DeVos has no
real understanding of urban education as well.
Thank you, Sarah. Thanks for writing.
I have also heard from Alicia Bettano, a former student from Merrimac
who bravely shared with me her own experiences. This is from Alicia:
I suffer from a Non Verbal Learning Disorder. Up until I
was 13 years old I was not diagnosed with anything. I went to
aides, speech therapists, everyone. I had trouble in the
maths and in sciences. I was thought of as stupid. I was
yelled at by aides. When I was 13 and diagnosed, my teachers
didn't understand. They thought sitting me closer to the
white board would allow me to understand better, despite the
fact that it was their teaching methods that confused me. I
was told I would not go to college or graduate. My parents
had to hire an advocate to work for me to get my teachers and
school to understand my disability. It took me some time to
figure out what I wanted and needed, but in May I graduated
college.
Betsy DeVos would be a horror for those with disabilities;
not just learning ones, but mental ones. I was lucky I had
parents and one teacher backing me. What about the ones that
don't? Putting Betsy DeVos into office will hurt our children
in America--that's not making America great.
Alicia, thank you for writing. I really appreciate it.
Congratulations on your graduation.
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A man from Brookline also wrote in, saying this:
As someone passionate about education, especially the
education of students in Massachusetts, and as a graduate of
a public elementary school, middle school, high school and
college; as a young professional burdened by education debt;
as the husband of an early childhood educator working in a
struggling Boston neighborhood; as a member of a family
filled with men and women dedicated to careers in public
education, I strongly urge you to oppose Secretary of
Education nominee Betsy DeVos. My vote for or against
candidates in future elections will be informed by whether
the candidate publicly opposed this Secretary of Education
nominee.
Betsy DeVos has consistently worked against public
education and she is incredibly unqualified for this
position. At best, she should be an undersecretary focused on
public-private partnerships. If you must work with the
incoming administration, suggest her nomination for that
role, but you must oppose her cabinet-level appointment.
DeVos has no experience in public schools, either as a
student, educator, administrator or even as a parent. She has
lobbied for, and been employed by, initiatives that have
undermined public education in America.
We need a Secretary of Education who will champion
innovative strategies that we know help to improve success
for all students, including creating more opportunities and
equity for all. I urge you to vote against Ms. DeVos for
Secretary of Education.
What does Betsy DeVos have to say to Matt and Diana or to the
thousands of other teachers who have more experience in public
education than she does? What does she have to say to Leslie and
Samantha, whose children have benefited from the programs she wants to
cut? What does she have to say to Sarah, who relied on Stafford loans
to put her sons through college?
It is not just individuals who are worried about Betsy DeVos. We have
heard from groups across the State as well. The Massachusetts Charter
Public School Association wrote me, saying this:
Dear Senator Warren,
As the Association representing the 70 Massachusetts
commonwealth charter public schools, we are writing to
express our concerns over the nomination of Elisabeth DeVos
as U.S. Secretary of Education. We do not express these
reservations lightly, but we believe it is important to raise
certain issues that should be addressed by the nominee.
Both President-elect Trump and Ms. DeVos are strong
supporters of public charter schools, and we are hopeful they
will continue the bipartisan efforts of the Clinton, Bush and
Obama Administrations to promote the continued expansion of
high quality charters while pursuing reforms that will
strengthen traditional public schools.
But we are concerned about media reports of Ms. DeVos'
support for school vouchers and her critical role in creating
a charter system in her home state of Michigan that has been
widely criticized for lax oversight and poor academic
performance, and appears to be dominated by for-profit
interests.
As the senior Senator from Massachusetts and a member of
the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor &
Pensions (HELP), which will hold hearings on the nomination,
you will be in a position to ensure the nominee commits to
holding the national charter school movement to the highest
levels of accountability and oversight that are the hallmark
of the Massachusetts charter system.
By all independent accounts, Massachusetts has the best
charter school system in the country. We are providing high
quality public school choices for parents across our state.
Our urban schools are serving the highest need children in
Massachusetts, and are producing results that have
researchers double-checking their math. These gains held
across all demographic groups, including African American,
Latino, and children living in poverty.
The cornerstone of the Massachusetts charter public school
system is accountability. The process of obtaining and
keeping a charter is deliberately difficult. The state Board
of Elementary and Secondary Education is the sole authorizer
and historically has approved only one out of every five
applications. Once approved, each charter school must submit
to annual financial audits by independent auditors and annual
performance reviews by the state Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education. Every five years, each charter must be
renewed after a process as rigorous as the initial
application process. For-profit charter schools are
prohibited by Massachusetts law.
Our schools have also created partnerships with many
Massachusetts public school districts to foster collaboration
and best practices sharing, and have forged an historic
Compact between Boston charter public schools and the Boston
Public Schools that has become a national model.
Bipartisan support has been key to the development and
success of the Massachusetts system. Created in 1993 by a
Democratic Legislature and a Republican Governor, public
charter schools have continued to receive support from all
Governors, Republican and Democratic alike, and Democratic
legislative leaders.
If the new President and his nominee intend to advance the
cause of school choice across the country, they should look
to Massachusetts for their path forward.
The history of charter schools in Michigan offers a more
cautionary tale. The same researchers from Stanford that
declared Massachusetts charter public schools an unqualified
success, had mixed reviews for Michigan's charters.
According to media reports, last year Ms. DeVos actively
campaigned against bipartisan legislation that would have
provided more oversight for Michigan's charters. If these
reports are true, we are deeply concerned that efforts to
grow school choice without a rigorous accountability system
will reduce the quality of charter schools across the
country. We hope you agree that quality, not quantity, should
be the guiding principle of charter expansion. Without high
levels of accountability, this model fails.
We ask that you use the hearing to probe the incoming
Administration's intentions regarding education policy in
general and school choice and quality specifically.
We'd be happy to provide you with more information on the
Massachusetts model and would welcome a meeting with your
staff to brief them on our concerns.
Sincerely,
Massachusetts Charter Public School Association Board of
Directors.
The people of Massachusetts cannot afford Betsy DeVos. This is why I
will vote no on her nomination and why I urge my colleagues to do the
same.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.