Betsy DeVos is confirmed as secretary of education, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tie-breaker in a historic 51-50 vote. It marks the first time a vice president broke a tie for a cabinet confirmation.
DeVos, a Michigan billionaire whose advocacy for school choice has led to sweeping changes in the educational landscape in her home state, provoked divergent opinions in the Jewish community.
Betsy DeVos testifying at her Senate confirmation for education secretary in Washington, DC, January 17, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/via JTA)
Both the ulta-Orthodox Agudath Israel of America and the Orthodox Union issued congratulations within minutes of the vote. But the Reform movement’s rabbinical arm, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, was opposed to the nomination, as were the National Council of Jewish Women and Jewish Women International.
DeVos’s support for school choice raised concerns among advocates of church-state separation, who oppose the diversion of public funds to religious institutions.
— JTA
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