SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos testifies during a hearing before House Education and Labor Committee December 12, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
After spending much of her nearly four-year tenure in government attacking public schools and pushing privatization schemes, outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is now reportedly encouraging career staffers at her department to obstruct President-elect Joe Biden's policy agenda.
During a department-wide virtual meeting Tuesday, according to Politico, DeVos pointed out that many Education Department employees "will be here through the coming transition and beyond."
"Let me leave you with this plea: Resist," DeVos said, co-opting language used in opposition to President Donald Trump. "Be the resistance against forces that will derail you from doing what's right for students. In everything you do, please put students first--always."
DeVos' remarks came just two weeks after the billionaire education secretary lashed out at proposals to forgive student loan debt and eliminate tuition for public colleges and universities, dismissing such popular ideas as "government gift-giving."
Last December, as Common Dreams reported, DeVos proposed putting the federal government's massive student loan portfolio under the control of a "stand-alone government corporation," a move critics denounced as an attempt to prevent future administrations from canceling student loan debt.
Biden, who has not yet announced his nominee to succeed DeVos, has vowed to forgive some of the student loan debt held by tens of millions of Americans and make public colleges and universities tuition-free for families with incomes below $125,000 a year.
\u201cJanuary 20 can\u2019t come soon enough when this disgrace is pushed out the door and her bags are dropped at the curb.\nhttps://t.co/vVblrwDxWl\u201d— Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1608084574
In response to DeVos' comments Tuesday, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, tweeted that "because of DeVos' 'resistance,' thousands of public schools have no resources to reopen safely" amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"Because of her 'resistance,'" Weingarten added, "thousands of student loan borrowers have fewer avenues for justice and repayment."
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
After spending much of her nearly four-year tenure in government attacking public schools and pushing privatization schemes, outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is now reportedly encouraging career staffers at her department to obstruct President-elect Joe Biden's policy agenda.
During a department-wide virtual meeting Tuesday, according to Politico, DeVos pointed out that many Education Department employees "will be here through the coming transition and beyond."
"Let me leave you with this plea: Resist," DeVos said, co-opting language used in opposition to President Donald Trump. "Be the resistance against forces that will derail you from doing what's right for students. In everything you do, please put students first--always."
DeVos' remarks came just two weeks after the billionaire education secretary lashed out at proposals to forgive student loan debt and eliminate tuition for public colleges and universities, dismissing such popular ideas as "government gift-giving."
Last December, as Common Dreams reported, DeVos proposed putting the federal government's massive student loan portfolio under the control of a "stand-alone government corporation," a move critics denounced as an attempt to prevent future administrations from canceling student loan debt.
Biden, who has not yet announced his nominee to succeed DeVos, has vowed to forgive some of the student loan debt held by tens of millions of Americans and make public colleges and universities tuition-free for families with incomes below $125,000 a year.
\u201cJanuary 20 can\u2019t come soon enough when this disgrace is pushed out the door and her bags are dropped at the curb.\nhttps://t.co/vVblrwDxWl\u201d— Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1608084574
In response to DeVos' comments Tuesday, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, tweeted that "because of DeVos' 'resistance,' thousands of public schools have no resources to reopen safely" amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"Because of her 'resistance,'" Weingarten added, "thousands of student loan borrowers have fewer avenues for justice and repayment."
After spending much of her nearly four-year tenure in government attacking public schools and pushing privatization schemes, outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is now reportedly encouraging career staffers at her department to obstruct President-elect Joe Biden's policy agenda.
During a department-wide virtual meeting Tuesday, according to Politico, DeVos pointed out that many Education Department employees "will be here through the coming transition and beyond."
"Let me leave you with this plea: Resist," DeVos said, co-opting language used in opposition to President Donald Trump. "Be the resistance against forces that will derail you from doing what's right for students. In everything you do, please put students first--always."
DeVos' remarks came just two weeks after the billionaire education secretary lashed out at proposals to forgive student loan debt and eliminate tuition for public colleges and universities, dismissing such popular ideas as "government gift-giving."
Last December, as Common Dreams reported, DeVos proposed putting the federal government's massive student loan portfolio under the control of a "stand-alone government corporation," a move critics denounced as an attempt to prevent future administrations from canceling student loan debt.
Biden, who has not yet announced his nominee to succeed DeVos, has vowed to forgive some of the student loan debt held by tens of millions of Americans and make public colleges and universities tuition-free for families with incomes below $125,000 a year.
\u201cJanuary 20 can\u2019t come soon enough when this disgrace is pushed out the door and her bags are dropped at the curb.\nhttps://t.co/vVblrwDxWl\u201d— Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1608084574
In response to DeVos' comments Tuesday, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, tweeted that "because of DeVos' 'resistance,' thousands of public schools have no resources to reopen safely" amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"Because of her 'resistance,'" Weingarten added, "thousands of student loan borrowers have fewer avenues for justice and repayment."