President Donald Trump’s choice of billionaire Betsy DeVos to be education secretary was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, but only after Vice President Mike Pence was called in to break a tie that threatened to defeat her.
The tie-breaking vote, which Senate officials said was unprecedented to confirm a president’s Cabinet nominee, came after two Republicans joined with 46 Democrats and two independents in opposition to DeVos. Critics have called her unprepared to lead the Department of Education.
According to Senate officials, there are no records of a vice president ever before being called on to break a tie vote on a president’s Cabinet pick.
WATCH: Betsy DeVos sworn in as secretary of education
Following a rocky Senate confirmation hearing, Democrats have attacked DeVos as being unprepared to lead the Department of Education.
DeVos is married to the heir and former CEO of Amway, which sells household and personal care items. She is also the daughter of the founders of Prince Corporation, a Michigan car parts supplier and sister of Erik Prince, the founder of the security company formerly known as Blackwater USA, now called Academi.
DeVos has been an advocate of charter schools, which operate independently of school districts and frequently are run by corporations. Democrats are concerned she would promote charter schools in a way that would undercut public schools, which have long been the anchor of the U.S. education system.
WATCH ABOVE: Vice-President Mike Pence broke a 50-50 tie after a last ditch effort by Democrats to sink the nomination of Betsy DeVos as President Trump’s nominee for education secretary.
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