The confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, the billionaire proponent of taxpayer-funded vouchers for private and religious schools chosen by Donald Trump as his education secretary nominee, has been postponed.
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and ranking member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) released a statement Monday saying the hearing, originally set to take place Wednesday morning, has been rescheduled to Jan. 17 at 5 p.m, and the timing change came "at the request of the Senate leadership to accommodate the Senate schedule." The Office of Government Ethics has not completed its review of DeVos and her financial holdings and any potential conflicts of interests, and this was a concern for Democrats. Alexander told The Washington Post in a statement that DeVos is an "outstanding nominee" and "no one doubts that she will be confirmed as education secretary."