Betsy DeVos, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Education, was a longtime advocate of charter schools and redirecting tax dollars to private and Christian schools.

DeVos’ family was among the richest in the nation, with a worth over $5 billion. Her husband was former CEO of Amway and her brother founded the private military firm Blackwater. She and her family used their significant wealth for political influence within the Republican Party. In a 1997 editorial, she wrote, “I have decided to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence. Now I simply concede the point. They are right. We do expect some things in return.”

In 2001, she said education reform was a means to “advance God’s kingdom.” In a separate interview, she said she sought “to impact our culture in ways that are not the traditional funding-the-Christian-organization route, but that really may have greater Kingdom gain in the long run by changing the way we approach things – in this case, the system of education in the country.”

Despite never being an educator, DeVos was nominated to be Secretary of Education by Trump. She was confirmed by the Senate in a narrow 50-50 vote, where the tie was broken by Vice President Mike Pence. During the confirmation hearings, DeVos said guns had a place in schools, giving the example of defense against grizzly bears.

During her tenure, DeVos sought to allocate federal funds to private schools by arguing it to be a component of “state’s rights.” She failed to divest from 24 assets as required by law, attempted to cut funding for the Special Olympics, revoked Obama-era rules about for-profit universities and sexual assault reporting on campuses, and was investigated for using personal email accounts to conduct government business.

In a 2018 60 Minutes interview, she struggled to answer various questions, including why the Michigan charter school programs she pushed in her home state of Michigan were failing students.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she attempted to redirect millions of dollars in relief from public schools to private and religious schools until the move was prevented by a federal court. She also called for the full re-opening of schools, saying, “there’s nothing in the data that suggests that kids being in school is in any way dangerous to them.”

The Atlantic – What Betsy DeVos Did (and Didn’t) Reveal About Her Education Priorities
The New York Times – Betsy DeVos and God’s Plan for Schools
Politico – Trump’s education pick says reform can ‘advance God’s Kingdom’
The Hill – Trump education pick once touted school reform to ‘advance God’s Kingdom’ 
The Los Angeles Times – Betsy DeVos squeaks through as Education secretary after Pence casts first-ever tie-breaking vote
The Atlantic – DeVos Digs Herself Deeper
Citizens for Ethics – Betsy DeVos’ financial disclosure fails to account for divestiture of 24 assets
Associated Press – DeVos defends plan to eliminate Special Olympics funding
Politico – How the new DeVos rules on sexual assault will shock schools — and students
The New York Times – DeVos Repeals Obama-Era Rule Cracking Down on For-Profit Colleges
USA today – Betsy DeVos used personal email for work in ‘limited’ cases, according to internal investigation
NPR – DeVos Faces Pushback Over Plan To Reroute Aid To Private School Students
Politico – Judge strikes down DeVos plan to boost pandemic relief for private schools
Wikipedia – Betsy DeVos