Education Secretary Betsy DeVos submitted her letter of resignation to President Donald Trump late on Thursday, saying that his actions yesterday influenced what unfolded.
“We should be highlighting and celebrating your Administration’s many accomplishments on behalf of the American people,” DeVos wrote in her letter. “Instead, we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protestors overrunning the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undermine the people’s business. That behavior 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.”
“Impressionable children are watching all of this, and they are learning from us,” DeVos continued. “I believe we each have a moral obligation to exercise good judgement and model the behavior we hope they emulate. They must know from us that America is greater than what transpired yesterday. To that end, today I resign from my position, effective Friday, January 8, in support of the oath I took to our Constitution, our people, and our freedoms.”
DeVos’ letter highlighted the work that the administration did in expanding efforts to put “parents in charge of education” and lead the expansion of “school choice and education freedom in many states.”
The DeVos family are big-time Republican donors, having potentially donated approximately $200 million to Republican candidates.
“We have restored the proper federal role by returning power to states, communities, educators, and parents,” DeVos said in her resignation letter. “We have returned due process to our nation’s schools and defended the First Amendment rights of students and teachers. We have dramatically improved the way students interact with Federal Student Aid. We have lifted up students by restoring year-round Pell, expanding Second Chance Pell, delivering unprecedented opportunities for students at HBCU’s, and so much more.”
“With just weeks until his departure, Trump has lost at least two Cabinet secretaries — DeVos and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao — along with several top advisers, including Mick Mulvaney who told CNBC ‘I can’t stay,'” Fox News reported. “In the hours after rioters stormed the Capitol, Stephanie Grisham, former White House Press Secretary and chief of staff to the first lady, resigned.”
This article has been expanded after publication to include additional information.