> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • The Evolution of Race in Admissions
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
News
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

In New Profile, DeVos Blames Staff for Rocky Confirmation Hearing

By  Adam Harris
November 1, 2017
Betsy DeVos appeared before the U.S. Senate’s education committee in January for her confirmation hearing. Pressed to support precise positions, Ms. DeVos avoided specifics and instead promised to work with lawmakers toward common goals.
Chronicle photo by Julia Schmalz
Betsy DeVos appeared before the U.S. Senate’s education committee in January for her confirmation hearing. Pressed to support precise positions, Ms. DeVos avoided specifics and instead promised to work with lawmakers toward common goals.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos felt “undercoached” by transition-team staff members for her contentious confirmation hearing in January, according to a lengthy profile of the enigmatic cabinet official in Politico Magazine.

“The transition group was very circumspect about how much information they gave me about then-current policy,” she said, and “it was in their view a balance between being prepared for a confirmation hearing and not having well-formed opinions on what should or shouldn’t change, so as not to get caught in a confirmation hearing making commitments that then I wouldn’t want to or be able to keep.”

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from c950.chronicle.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

Betsy DeVos appeared before the U.S. Senate’s education committee in January for her confirmation hearing. Pressed to support precise positions, Ms. DeVos avoided specifics and instead promised to work with lawmakers toward common goals.
Chronicle photo by Julia Schmalz
Betsy DeVos appeared before the U.S. Senate’s education committee in January for her confirmation hearing. Pressed to support precise positions, Ms. DeVos avoided specifics and instead promised to work with lawmakers toward common goals.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos felt “undercoached” by transition-team staff members for her contentious confirmation hearing in January, according to a lengthy profile of the enigmatic cabinet official in Politico Magazine.

“The transition group was very circumspect about how much information they gave me about then-current policy,” she said, and “it was in their view a balance between being prepared for a confirmation hearing and not having well-formed opinions on what should or shouldn’t change, so as not to get caught in a confirmation hearing making commitments that then I wouldn’t want to or be able to keep.”

“And in hindsight,” she said, “I wish I had a whole lot more information.”

Some observers noted that this was not the first time Ms. DeVos has criticized staff members for a misstep, including a tweet during the inauguration and a reference to historically black colleges as pioneers of school choice.

ADVERTISEMENT

This is pattern where DeVos throws staff under bus--see inauguration tweet about historic. But coaching critique doesn’t make sense https://t.co/BfAtB3Q4VJ

— Ben Miller (@EduBenM) November 1, 2017

The Politico Magazine profile of Ms. DeVos centers on her “Rethink School” tour through middle America earlier this year. (The Chronicle joined Ms. DeVos for several stops along the route.)

DeVos wide at hearing
The Turbulent Nomination of Betsy DeVos
President Trump’s choice of Betsy DeVos, a philanthropist and generous donor to many conservative causes, to be his secretary of education aroused some of the strongest opposition of any nominee for the Trump cabinet.
  • How Much Power Does Betsy DeVos Really Hold to Shake Up Higher Ed?
  • Betsy DeVos Survived a Historic Confirmation Fight. What’s Next for Higher Ed?
  • Why Trump’s Billionaire Nominee Has Awakened Such Fierce Opposition

During a string of interviews with the magazine, Ms. DeVos — who rarely speaks with national reporters — told Politico that while she expected dealing with bureaucracy to be difficult, it is “much more formidable” than even she anticipated. “It’s even worse,” she said, “and you know, in talking to a lot of the great career staff, it’s like everybody nods their heads when you talk about this … yet it seems like everyone is powerless to do anything about it.”

Ms. DeVos has faced increased scrutiny over the past week after a Freedom of Information Act request by American Oversight, a nonprofit group focused on “holding this administration accountable,” returned a detailed version of her schedule over her first six months as secretary. The group’s report focused on what it described as “frequent days off.” Ms. DeVos’s public schedule, which is typically updated on a weekly basis, has not been updated since the middle of October, adding to the criticism.

Adam Harris is a breaking-news reporter. Follow him on Twitter @AdamHSays or email him at adam.harris@chronicle.com.

A version of this article appeared in the November 10, 2017, issue.
Read other items in this The Turbulent Nomination of Betsy DeVos package.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Law & PolicyPolitical Influence & Activism
Adam Harris
Adam Harris, a staff writer at The Atlantic, was previously a reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education and covered federal education policy and historically Black colleges and universities. He also worked at ProPublica.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin