Senator Marco Rubio once said, “I view the Senate as a place that can always act as a check and balance on whoever the next president is.” Unfortunately, that check has been paid to Rubio to the tune of $98,300 from newly-confirmed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her family members, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
Rubio has backed Trump 100% in his picks so far according to FiveThirtyEight, but his latest approval comes at the expense of a tie to grant DeVos a position many senators have proved she is not qualified for.
From the Miami New Times:
DeVos is hellbent on tearing down public education and replacing it with charter schools and private religious schools. She says her larger goal is to “advance God’s kingdom,” which is an interesting take on a philosophy that critics say hurts disadvantaged kids.
In this case, Rubio didn’t even put up a front about resisting Trump’s pick like he did when grilling Secretary of State Rex Tillerson before ultimately voting for him. Despite protesters’ marches on his district offices and enough phone calls to fill his D.C. inbox, Rubio voted yes — a key vote in a 50-50 deadlock broken by Vice President Mike Pence.
According to the Center for American Progress, DeVos has given almost $1 million to the same senators who voted for her confirmation, with Rubio receiving the most money on the list.
Betsy DeVos has given almost $1 million to senators that voted for her confirmation. She's given almost $100K to Marco Rubio alone. pic.twitter.com/OQKHaymB3y
— Sky Palma (@DeadStateTweets) February 8, 2017
She hasn’t made a secret of her penchant for buying influence either.
“I have decided, however, to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence,” DeVos said in the late 90s, according to The New Yorker. “Now I simply concede the point. They are right… We expect a return on our investment.”
Return on her investment indeed. The very people she’s donated to over the years have now rewarded her with a top role in deciding the future of our children’s education.
Featured image via YouTube
Leave a Reply