Tag: Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos left Washington 5 months ago. Her legacy is alive and well.

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On issues like charter schools and sexual misconduct, conservative lawmakers and activists have stepped in to preserve the work of Donald Trump’s education secretary.

The Biden administration is trying to scrub Betsy DeVos’ policy fingerprints from the Education Department on everything from for-profit colleges to sex-based discrimination.

Standing in their way is an array of conservative politicians and advocacy groups eager to keep her policy agenda afloat after she has largely receded from public view.

DeVos’ devotion to using her government position to advocate for charter schools and those accused of sexual misconduct now relies on Republicans like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to defend her turf. Continue reading.

Betsy DeVos must testify in student loan forgiveness lawsuit, judge rules

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The class action was brought by 160,000 student loan borrowers over the administration’s handling of their loan forgiveness claims.

WASHINGTON — Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos must testify in a class-action lawsuit about her handling of student loan forgiveness claims, which involved delays in the administration’s decision-making and ultimate denial of a significant number of the applications, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

In a 12-page ruling, Judge William Alsup denied a motion to quash a subpoena for the Cabinet secretary’s deposition, writing that “exceptional circumstances” warrant her to sit for one.

The ruling, first reported by Politico, says those circumstances “warrant the deposition of Secretary DeVos for three hours, excluding breaks,” though he acknowledged that it’s “rare” for courts to authorize depositions of Cabinet secretaries. Continue reading.

Biden directs fresh review of Title IX rule on campus sexual assault

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President Biden on Monday directed the Education Department to review a controversial regulation governing how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault, with an eye toward unraveling a new system put into place by former education secretary Betsy DeVos.

The DeVos regulation released in May spells out due process rights for those accused of harassment or assault, and the former secretary saw it as one of her most significant achievements. But it came under sharp attack from Democrats, women’s groups and others, and as a candidate, Biden signaled he would replace it.

It’s not clear, though, how he will go about it. Unraveling a regulation that is already in place may require a second complex rulemaking process.

Biden signed an executive order directing the Education Department to evaluate whether the DeVos regulation is “consistent with the policies” of the Biden administration. That’s a first step toward a fresh policy. Continue reading.

In farewell, DeVos urges Congress to reject Biden’s policies

In a farewell letter to Congress on Monday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urged lawmakers to reject President-elect Joe Biden’s education agenda, while imploring them to shield Trump administration policies that Biden has promised to eliminate.

DeVos does not explicitly acknowledge President Donald Trump’s election defeat nor does she refer to Biden by name. Instead, her letter offers lawmakers “some encouragement and closing thoughts.” As DeVos prepares to exit the Education Department, she says the coronavirus pandemic has exposed much that is “not encouraging” about U.S. education.

“While my time as Secretary is finite, my time as an advocate for children and students knows no limits,” she said in the letter, obtained by The Associated Press. It was sent to leaders in the House and Senate and to committees that oversee the Education Department. Continue reading.

DeVos extends moratorium on federal student loan payments through end of January

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Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Friday extended the suspension of federal student loan payments through the end of January, giving Congress and the incoming Biden administration time to put in place a longer moratorium.

“The coronavirus pandemic has presented challenges for many students and borrowers, and this temporary pause in payments will help those who have been impacted,” DeVos said in a statement Friday. “The added time also allows Congress to do its job and determine what measures it believes are necessary and appropriate. The Congress, not the executive branch, is in charge of student loan policy.”

The payment freeze, which was first introduced in March and later extended, had been set to expire Dec. 31. Continue reading.

Bye, Betsy’: Educators Celebrate the End of the DeVos Era

Stakeholders in the education community celebrated Joe Biden’s victory because it means the end of the troubled tenure of Betsy DeVos.

AFTER THE 2020 presidential election was called for Joe Biden on Saturday, the country’s educators released a collective sigh of relief knowing that, at long last, the days were numbered for the woman they consider Public (School) Enemy No. 1: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

The national teachers unions, their city and state affiliates, school superintendents, principals, educators and parents took to social media to throw DeVos an early retirement party, posting photos and videos of themselves popping bottles of champagne with tears in their eyes, retweeting GIFs and memes of doors being slammed shut, of actors performing trite “buh-byes” and of photoshopped pictures of DeVos as Cruella de Vil and other Disney movie villains. 

The Chicago Teachers Union lit up Twitter with two words: “Bye Betsy.” Continue reading.

Taxpayers paid more than $24 million for DeVos’ security detail over the last 4 years: report

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A new report detailing the staggering cost taxpayers are paying for U.S. Department of Education Betsy DeVos’ security detail is drawing criticism from the American public.

Over the past four years, DeVos’ security detail has cost taxpayers more than $24 million, according to Politico. An additional $3 million is expected to be spent on DeVos’ security from now through the month of February, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) revealed to the publication on Tuesday.

“No other cabinet secretaries during the Trump administration has or had this agreement with the USMS,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. Continue reading.

Michigan Republican fundraised at DeVos family home — while trying to downplay financial ties

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Michigan Republican Senate candidate John James attended a fundraiser at the home of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ brother-in-law while trying to downplay the financial help his campaign has received from the family.

James attended a fundraiser at the home of DeVos’ brother-in-law, Dan, and his wife, Pamella, last month. Though James was well-distanced from the crowd, none of the attendees appeared to be wearing masks, according to a photo published by former Allegan County Republican Party Chairman Kevin Whiteford to Facebook.

James has extensive ties to the DeVos family, which has poured money into his race against Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. His campaign recently hired Betsy DeVos’ niece, and his wife has worked at the DeVos family’s Amway empire for years. Members of the DeVos family have directly donated tens of thousands to his campaign. Continue reading.

DeVos under investigation for potentially violating Hatch Act because of Fox News interview

The Education Department’s YouTube channel includes the interview, which was also touted in an official message from the agency.

The Office of the Special Counsel has started investigatingEducation Secretary Betsy DeVos for potentially violating the Hatch Act, after she slammed Joe Biden in a Fox News interview and her agency promoted it through official channels.

The head of investigative watchdog blog Checks and Balances Project Scott Peterson said in an interview that OSC Hatch Act attorney Eric Johnson told him he had been assigned to investigate the matter.

“We’ll investigate matters in your complaint,” Johnson told Peterson, recounting the conversation. “The incident seems very well documented.” Johnson also told him that because of remote work prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, the timeline for the investigation is uncertain. Continue reading.

DeVos’ former top aide joins anti-Trump group

Josh Venable is lending his name as an adviser to the Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform.

Josh Venable, the former chief of staff to Education Secretary Betsy Devos, has joined another former Trump administration official’s group opposing the president.

Venable is lending his name as an adviser to the Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform, a group former Department of Homeland Security official Miles Taylor launched on Thursday of current and former Trump administration officials and other Republican leaders who want to see President Donald Trump defeated in November.

Taylor, who was chief of staff at DHS, and Elizabeth Neumann, another former senior Trump DHS official, started the group, which includes 26 Republicans, including Anthony Scaramucci, who served briefly as White House communications director. A current senior administration official is also part of the group, but Taylor declined to share that person’s name. Continue reading.