CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Phone calls jammed congressional switchboards. Two Republican senators defected. Democrats held a last-ditch, 24-hour Senate debate in hope of shaking loose one additional vote.
But the effort was not enough to prevent Betsy DeVos from becoming U.S. secretary of Education.
DeVos squeaked through the confirmation process Tuesday with the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Mike Pence and the participation of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), whose confirmation vote for attorney general was scheduled after DeVos’ so he could vote for her.”
– Joy Resmovits, “Betsy DeVos squeaks through as Education secretary after Pence casts first-ever tie-breaking vote,” The Los Angeles Times online, Feb. 7, 2017