A couple hundred people gathered in downtown Portland Friday to protest the nomination of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Education Secretary.
Hundreds gathered in Portland to stop the nomination of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Education Secretary.
Kristian Foden-Vencil / OPB
Democratic Sen.Jeff Merkley said he received a petition signed by more than 1.4 million concerned Americans.
“Betsy DeVos, did not go to a public school. She did not send her children to a public school. She did not study education in order to teach in a public school. I don’t know if she’s ever set foot inside a public school," he said.
"That makes her tremendously unqualified to be secretary of education," Merkley said.
DeVos is a billionaire and Republican activist in Michigan, where she's tried to amend the state constitution to create a voucher system for students to attend non-public schools.
Merkley was joined by Democratic representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici.
DeVos’s nomination is awaiting in the Senate.