Indiana teachers hold sit-in at office of senator linked to Betsy DeVos

On Thursday, a group of teachers held a sit-in at the office of Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), calling on the newly elected official to recuse himself from the vote on Betsy DeVos as education secretary.

The teachers say Young has a conflict of interest, because DeVos' family gave him more than $48,000 last year, WTHR reports. Young sits on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which is scheduled to vote on DeVos' nomination next week. DeVos is a billionaire who has no experience with public education and has spent decades lobbying for taxpayer-funded vouchers for private and religious schools. "Why would she pay so much, with so much desire to have this job, if she were unqualified for it?" one teacher said to WTHR. "We have her own words stating the reason she has made these large donations is because she wants this job."

Young's staff told WTHR he has no plans to recuse himself, arguing that other senators have received donations from previous Cabinet picks.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up