Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s unpopular education secretary, became the second cabinet member to resign on Thursday, citing the coup attempt on the U.S. Capitol.
In a letter sent to Trump to BuzzFeed News, DeVos said, “There is no denying the impact that his rhetoric has had on the situation, and it is an inflection point for me.”
“We must highlight and celebrate the many accomplishments of his administration on behalf of the American people. Instead, we have to clean up the mess caused by violent protesters, ”wrote DeVos.
DeVos, a billionaire megadonora who had no government or classroom experience before becoming secretary of education, follows Secretary of Transport Elaine Chao, who on Thursday also announced that she was quitting because of the “totally preventable” insurrection “brought about by Trump’s rhetoric.
But DeVos is more likely to be remembered for his unusually controversial management at the head of the Department of Education, a position that generally attracts little public attention. She has been the target of the left’s wrath since the day of her Senate confirmation hearing, when she struggled to answer basic political questions.
A tireless advocate of school choice, especially private and religious schools, DeVos was able to make little progress on the issue during his tenure. Instead, she oversaw a department that eliminated guidelines designed to protect transgender students and overhauled the rules for dealing with sexual assault on college campuses.
DeVos’ ultimate goal was to drastically reduce the size and budget of the federal government in education. “It would be good for me to have a job without a job,” said DeVos at the beginning.
Under his leadership, the Department of Education has shrunk in size and influence, cutting workers drastically in places like the Civil Rights Office and ceding some of its power to regulate schools and colleges.
During the 2020 Democratic primaries, promises to replace DeVos used to be the most reliable source of applause for campaigning Democratic candidates.
Last fall, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, DeVos sided with Trump to vigorously defend the reopening of schools, an issue she cited in her letter of resignation.
“I know for sure that history will show that we were correct in our insistence and support for the reopening of schools this year,” DeVos wrote to Trump.