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LAMAR

ALEXANDER TENNESSEE

CHAIRMAN

MICHAEL

B.

ENZ

I

WYOM

I

NG

RICHARD BURR NORTH

CAROLINA JOHNNY

ISAKSON GEORGIA

RAND

PAUL KENTUCKY

SUSAN

M.

CO

LLINS

MAINE

LISA

MURKOWSKI ALASKA MARK

KIRK ILLINOIS

TIM

SCOTT

SOUTH

CAROLINA ORRIN HATCH UTAH PAT ROBERTS

KANSAS

BILL CASSIDY M.D. LOUI

SIANA

P

ATTY MUR

RAY

WASHINGTON BARBARA

A. MIKULSKI

MARYLAND

BERNARD

SAN

D

ERS

I

,

VERMONT

ROBERT P. CASEY JR.

PENNSYLVANIA AL

FRANKEN MI

NNESOTA MICHAEL

F.

BENNET COLORADO SHELDON WHITEHOUSE RHODE I

SLAND

TAMMY

BAL

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IN WISCONSIN CHRISTOPHER

S.

MUR

PH

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CONNECTICUT ELIZABETH WARREN

MASSACHUSETTS

DAVID

P.

CLEARY STAFF DIRECTOR EVAN SCHATZ DEMOCRATIC STAFF DIRECTOR

http

://help.senate.gov

The Honorable Lamar Alexander Chairman Senate HELP Committee 428 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Alexander:

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ON HEAL

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EDUCATION LABOR AND PENSIONS

WAS

HINGTON

DC

20510-6300

January 23, 2017 We were extremely disappointed at what happened at the hearing last week for Elisabeth Betsy De Vos, President Trump's nominee to be Secretary

of

Education. We believe it is our

job

as Senators to question nominees, fully explore their records, and understand, on behalf

of

our constituents, the positions they will take at the agencies. Last week, however, instead

of

anything approaching an appropriate and reasonable level

of

robust scrutiny, Democrats were cut

off

from asking additional questions beyond a single round, which is unprecedented in the Committee. Education is too important an issue, and the Secretary

of

Education is too important a position for the country and for this Committee, to

jam

a nominee through without sufficient questioning and scrutiny. This is not about politics, it should not be about partisanship--it should be about doing the work we were elected

by

our states to do to ask questions

of

nominees on behalf

of

the people we represent.

ow

that we have received all

of

the paperwork from the Office

of

Government Ethics (OGE), we request Ms. De Vos appear for a second day

of

hearings before the HELP Committee prior to the Committee scheduling a mark-up on Ms. De Vos' nomination. We would like to ask Ms. De Vos additional questions we were prevented from asking this week given we did not know all

of

the financial and ethical information that has now been shared with us, as well as address additional questions that have arisen from the OGE paperwork. In particular, we believe it is important to ask her questions around companies she will continue to own that are directly impacted by the Department

of

Education and this administration's education agenda. We believe the opportunity to ask such questions is consistent with the responsibilities and practices

of

this committee. We appreciate your consideration

of

this request and look forward to the opportunity to more fully understand Ms. De Vos' views and positions.

Sincerely PATTY MURRAY United States Senator

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ROBERT P. CASEY Jr. United States Senator

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Uni d States Senator BERNARD SANDERS

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