Two Republican senators announced Wednesday they will vote against confirming Betsy DeVos, imperiling her chances of becoming the next Secretary of Education, NBC News reported.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska both said they cannot support DeVos, a charter school and voucher program advocate. Her nomination already has received opposition from Democrats, and Collins and Murkowski’s announcements put pressure on other moderate Republican senators to follow their lead as opponents of DeVos continue to inundate phone lines of congressional offices.
Republicans hold a 52-seat majority in the senate. In the event of a tie, Vice President Mike Pence would cast the tie-breaking vote.
