This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Two Republican senators have turned against the billionaire Republican fundraiser and activist Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of education.

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine both said on Wednesday that they would oppose DeVos’s nomination. Murkowski told reporters: “I was trying to get to yes and I couldn’t.”

Trump's cabinet Confirmed

James Mattis (Defense), John Kelly (Homeland Security), Rex Tillerson (State), Elaine Chao (Transportation), Nikki Haley (United Nations), Betsy DeVos (Education), Jeff Sessions (Attorney General), Tom Price (Health and Human Services), Steve Mnuchin (Treasury), David Shulkin (Veterans Affairs), Scott Pruitt (Environmental Protection Agency), Wilbur Ross (Commerce), Ryan Zinke (Interior), Rick Perry (Energy), Ben Carson (Housing and Urban Development), Sonny Perdue (Agriculture), Alexander Acosta (Labor) Awaiting Senate approval

Linda McMahon (Small Business Association), Mick Mulvaney (Office of Management and Budget director), Robert Lighthizer (US trade representative) Withdrawn

Andrew Puzder (Labor) Not yet announced

Council of Economic Advisers chair



Unless any Democrats break ranks, the defections leave Trump perilously close to defeat on a cabinet nominee. Only 50 senators support DeVos. This would force vice-president Mike Pence to cast a tiebreaking vote under Senate rules, and one more defection would doom her nomination.

At the White House press briefing, press secretary Sean Spicer said he was “100% confident” DeVos would be confirmed and said she was “unbelievably qualified”.

DeVos – a Republican megadonor, philanthropist and eager patron of charter schools – was criticized for her performance before the Senate health, education, labor and pensions committee last month.

She refused to state whether she would uphold the Obama administration’s guidance on how to handle campus sexual assault and suggested guns might belong in schools due to the threat posed by grizzly bears.

Democrats have sought to raise alarm over her support for expanding charter schools and school vouchers, which critics argue undermine public education due to lack of regulation and accountability.

Ethics watchdogs have also raised questions over potential conflicts of interest, as DeVos and her family have made political contributions amounting to millions of dollars to Super Pacs and Republican candidates – particularly in favor of school choice.

Senate rules require a simple majority of 51 votes for cabinet appointees. Republicans account for 52 of the 100 senators.

Also on Wednesday the Senate judiciary committee backed Jeff Sessions for attorney general 11-9. He now goes to the full Senate.

So far, five of Trump’s cabinet nominees have been confirmed by the Senate with only secretary of state Rex Tillerson – who was confirmed on Wednesday – facing a heavily contested vote.

