As numerous officials who worked for the Trump administration resign in shame, none may be more disgraced than Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who left her job this week as calls mount for President Donald Trump’s removal.
DeVos joins Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao in fleeing the White House amid the fallout from Wednesday’s riots at the U.S. Capitol, a failed coup many say was instigated directly by the president. As a loyal member of Trump’s cabinet throughout his administration, DeVos would have been forced to take a stand if Vice President Mike Pence invoked the 25th amendment to declare Trump unfit for office. Her resignation allows her to avoid going on the record.
In a statement accompanying her departure, DeVos acknowledged that the attempt by Trump supporters to storm the halls of Congress and stop President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college certification was “unconscionable for our country.”
“There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me,” she said.
DeVos leaves a trail of devastation in her wake that will wreak suffering and harm on Americans for years to come, particularly vulnerable LGBTQ+ students. Earlier this year, the longtime conservative activist oversaw an initiative to withhold $18 million in Department of Education funding from Connecticut schools that maintain ties with trans-inclusive sports organizations. Those dollars were earmarked for districts where students of color had previously been denied educational opportunities.
“The federal government is trying to force us to take a side against transgender individuals,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said at the time.
Devos also implemented new rules that would allow schools to exclude LGBTQ+ students from other educational programs. That policy was likely a reaction to a 2018 case in which the University of Iowa withheld recognition from a student group that banned LGBTQ+ leadership.
During her time working with Trump, DeVos proved particularly hostile to queer and trans students, with federal agencies rolling back protections and failing to investigate anti-LGBTQ+ bullying and violence. DeVos oversaw the end of an Obama-era rule that required schools to accommodate transgender students under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; she also revoked policies that directed schools to address sexual assault and sexual harassment, a pair of phenomena disproportionately experienced by trans youth.
DeVos also ended investigations into trans students’ complaints that they were denied access to educational facilities. A 2019 report by the Center for American Progress showed that the Trump administration was more likely to dismiss reports of discrimination against marginalized groups than previous administrations.
In addition, the Department of Education joined eight other federal agencies in proposing a rule change that would make it harder for people receiving federal aid to address discrimination by faith-based providers.
It’s unclear what DeVos’ next move is. After she spent the last four years relentlessly attacking some of the most vulnerable young people in America, Forbes estimates that her family is worth $2 billion. Prior to joining the Trump administration in 2017, DeVos and her wealthy relatives were major donors to efforts to block same-sex marriage in California and Michigan.
Others headed out the exit door along with DeVos include Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger, and Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors Tyler Goodspeed, the latter of whom is openly gay.
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