As Betsy DeVos comes under fresh scrutiny for the Department of Education’s predatory tactics towards students ripped off by for-profit colleges, it’s worth remembering that Senator Susan Collins cast the deciding vote to advance her confirmation -- then tried to mislead Mainers about the part she played in confirming this toxic nominee.
According to the Portland Press-Herald, Maine students at for-profit colleges have on average more than twice as much debt as those at public or non-profit schools, and more than half of borrowers at for-profit schools have struggled to make payments on their loans. Meanwhile, the Education Secretary Senator Collins helped confirm has continued to target students who have been victimized by these shady for-profit schools.
Learn more about Senator Collins’ role in installing Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education:
Senator Collins voted to advance Betsy DeVos “because she believes in ‘considerable deference’ to the president’s picks…” [Lewiston Sun Journal, 1/31/17]
…but “she specifically mentioned that she [had] yet to make up her mind which way to vote on the floor.” [Lewiston Sun Journal, 1/31/17]
Collins actually “waited to announce [her] opposition once the rest of the votes for DeVos were locked up.” [POLITICO, 2/1/17]
Then, a year later, Collins tried to rewrite the facts, falsely claiming, “I announced in committee that I was going to oppose her on the Senate floor.” [Youtube, 3/2/18]
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