Original Message:
Sent: 02-07-2017 15:36
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
This afternoon, Betsy Devos was confirmed by the Senate as the next Secretary of Education under the Trump Administration, after Vice President Mike Pence cast an historic 51-50 tie-breaking vote to approve her nomination. DeVos will be sworn in by Vice President Pence this evening, at 5:30 p.m., to begin her new role. For initial insight about what DeVos' new position will mean for education, read this article. Also be on the lookout for an ASBOUSA blog with more analysis on this topic later this week.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-06-2017 13:15
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
The Senate is expected to cast the final vote on Besty DeVos' confirmation as President Donald Trump's Education Secretary tomorrow, since Democrats are trying to delay the vote as long as possible. POLITICO says Democrats are participating in a "24-hour marathon of speeches" on the Senate floor, which is "expected to conclude at noon on Tuesday." The vote still appears to be at a 50-50 tie, with the Vice President expected to break it. The speech marathon is a last attempt to "call more public attention to the vote, and increase public pressure on GOP senators who have already received tens of thousands of calls and emails from people who oppose DeVos."
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is leading the charge to find another Republican to oppose DeVos' nomination, and has been focusing on persuading those who are on the fence, including Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Jerry Moran (R-KS). Please stay tuned for further updates.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-03-2017 11:00
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
ASBOUSA published a new blog this morning, which includes an overview of President Trump's first two weeks in office, and how his executive actions, regulatory freezes, and Cabinet and Supreme Court nominations are affecting the education world. Also, below are alerts regarding DeVos' nomination for Education Secretary and the latest status of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) regulations.
- The Senate voted to proceed with considering Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary this morning. The final confirmation vote will be on Monday or Tuesday. Depending on the outcome, we will have a better idea of what President Trump's "regulatory freeze" will mean for ESSA accountability regulations.
- If DeVos is confirmed, she will likely follow the original timeline for states to submit accountability plans to the Department of Education (either on April 3, 2017 or September 18, 2017). DeVos would work with Congressional Republicans to scrap overly prescriptive accountability regulations and leave it up to states to decide on their accountability plans. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has said on multiple occasions to "assume that the U.S. Department of Education will say yes" to ESSA state accountability plans.
- If DeVos is not confirmed, the nomination and confirmation process will have to start over with a different candidate, which will delay filling the Education Secretary position and likely delay ESSA's overall implementation timeline.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-01-2017 16:29
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
Several media and coalition reports say that the final Senate vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as President Trump's Education Secretary will be a close one. See more here and here. The final Senate vote has yet to be scheduled, but insiders anticipate it could take place as early as Friday.
A 51-vote majority is needed to confirm DeVos, and the Republican party has 52 seats in the Senate. Two GOP Senators, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said that although they would vote DeVos through the Senate HELP committee vote, they reserve the right to oppose DeVos on the Senate floor for a final vote. Combined with 48 Democrats who are expected to vote against DeVos, this tallies to a 50-50 split. In the case of a split, Vice President Mike Pence would break the tie, and certainly vote to support Trump's nominee.
That being said, Vox reports that "if one more Republican senator abandons Betsy Devos, her nomination will likely fail," with a vote against her nomination, 49-51.Republican senators who are on the fence regarding DeVos' nomination include Sens. Fischer (R-NE), Portman (R-OH), Sullivan (R-AK), and Heller (R-NV). Please stay tuned to this thread for further updates on DeVos' nomination and President Trump's transition as events unfold.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-31-2017 15:13
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted, 12-11, in favor of Betsy Devos' nomination for Secretary of Education under the Trump Administration.
The Committee for Education Funding (CEF) reports that the HELP Committee "sent her nomination to the Senate floor on a party-line vote, despite Democratic objections over committee procedure. All Democratic members of the Committee voted against the nomination." Although two Republican senators, Sens. Murkowski (R-AK) and Collins (R-ME), both voted for DeVos, they expressly stated reservations with committing to support her when the nomination comes to the Senate floor for final consideration. For updates on other Trump Cabinet nominee hearings and confirmations, please read this Chicago Tribune article.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-24-2017 10:19
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
On Inauguration Day, White House staff ordered an immediate freeze of pending Obama administration regulations until the Trump administration can review them. The regulatory freeze extends to all departments and agencies, and includes the Department of Education's (ED) accountability regulations for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). EdWeek notes that ESSA's accountability regulations were supposed to take effect January 30, but are now delayed until further notice. The regulations outlined state accountability requirements, the submission process, and deadlines to submit plans to ED. Now, it is unclear what will happen to these regulations once the "freeze" period is over; it's possible that Congress may try to repeal them altogether. Please stay tuned for further updates.
On another note, we have several new ASBOUSA blogs that you may have missed with information about President Trump's transition progress into the Oval Office, and his 2017 priorities for the federal budget, repealing regulations, and K-12 education policy.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-09-2017 09:55
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
A new ASBOUSA blog is available with information about President-elect Donald Trump's nominations for key Cabinet and other administrative posts, including scheduled dates for Senate hearings to confirm their nominations. Please note that the Senate will hold a hearing on Wednesday to consider Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary. The blog also contains the latest updates on the GOP's plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and reform Medicaid, and what to expect for food and nutrition policy under Trump's administration.
Regarding DeVos' confirmation hearing for Education Secretary, ASBO International recently signed onto a letter with the National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE) suggesting questions for the Senate to ask DeVos during her confirmation hearing. The letter (attached to this post) was sent out to senators on Friday, and urges officials to inquire about:
- DeVos' history of supporting private school choice programs,
- Her desire to support public education considering her record, and
- How she will ensure that all students have access to high-quality and well-rounded education opportunities to meet their needs.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
Original Message:
Sent: 12-22-2016 09:25
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
ASBOUSA posted a legislative update blog with more information on President-elect Donald Trump's transition to the White House and other K-12 alerts. Topics covered include:
- Trump's list for Agriculture Secretary and updates on his ED Secretary nominee, Betsy Devos', Senate confirmation process.
- Trump's White House Budget Director, who will try to repeal the Affordable Care Act and 100+ other regulations, including everything from school nutrition standards and the overtime rule, to facility efficiency and transportation standards.
- Congress' plan for cutting spending in 2017, including a list of programs that affect K-12 districts.
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) webinars, reports, and other resources.
- A federal notice requesting for public comments from school districts that use seat belts on school buses.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
Original Message:
Sent: 12-20-2016 11:47
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
ASBOUSA published a new blog that discusses President-elect Donald Trump's $1 trillion infrastructure plan. The blog highlights what details Trump has made public about his vision for improving U.S. infrastructure, implications for federal investment in K-12 facilities under his administration, and details about ASBO International's advocacy activities regarding increasing federal investment in school infrastructure.
In addition, please stay tuned for another blog later this week, which will include the latest updates on Trump's transition process, as well as Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Affordable Care Act (ACA) alerts.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
Original Message:
Sent: 11-29-2016 14:02
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
A new blog is now available in the Legislative Affairs Community regarding President-elect Trump's transition to the White House, focusing on his choice for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.
The blog provides some background on who DeVos is, her education qualifications, and what K-12 policies to expect under Trump's administration if she is confirmed to lead the Department of Education. Specifically, it addresses her views on school choice, teachers unions, student civil rights issues, the federal role in education, and Common Core academic standards.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
Original Message:
Sent: 11-22-2016 10:32
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
A new blog is now available in the Legislative Affairs Community with more information about what to expect for K-12 education as President-elect Donald Trump transitions to the White House. The blog explains what Trump's transition team has planned for the following:
- Appointing key administration officials, including an Education Secretary.
- Repealing regulations under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the new overtime rule, and Obama Administration's Title IX guidance for schools.
- Funding the government for fiscal years 2017 and 2018 (and K-12 funding implications).
- Repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
Original Message:
Sent: 11-11-2016 09:06
From: ASBO USA
Subject: Transitioning to a Trump Administration
There are several resources available in the Legislative Affairs Community for members who would like to know what to expect for K-12 policy as we transition to a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump.
Please continue to tune into this community for updates on what to expect for education policy under the new administration. If you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to start a discussion with your peers in the Legislative Affairs Community, or contact us.
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ASBO USA
asbousa@asbointl.org
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