As previewed earlier, in a vote that many had expected would end up deadlocked 50/50 in the Senate, moments ago the confirmation vote for Trump's Education Secretary candidate Besty DeVos was indeed tied in the Senate after two Republicans - Collins and Murkowski voted against - which then prompted Vice President Mike Pence to cast the first ever tie-breaking vote for a cabinet nominee in Senate history, in the process confirming DeVos as America's new Secretary of Education.
BREAKING: Vice President Mike Pence casts the tie-breaking vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary https://t.co/cMTPTl9Qpv
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 7, 2017
The last time a VP broke a tie in the Senate was 2008, when then-Vice President Dick Cheney voted on a tax adjustment plan.
And Pence is on the Senate floor, preparing to break the 50-50 tie.
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 7, 2017
BREAKING: Senate CONFIRMS @BetsyDeVos to be Pres Trump's Sec of Education, 51-50, after @VP Pence came to Capitol to break the 50-50 tie.
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 7, 2017
As expected, @BetsyDeVos was confirmed 51-50, with @VP Pence breaking the tie.
GOP 'NO' VOTES:CollinsMurkowski
DEM 'YES' VOTES:None.
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 7, 2017
The broken tie by @VP Pence to confirm @BetsyDeVos marks the 1st time a VP has broken a tie for a cabinet nom in the history of the Senate.
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 7, 2017
Prior to the vote, Chuck Schumer made a failed 11th-hour plea Tuesday morning for a third Republican to buck DeVos and sink her nomination. “It’s the Republican side demanding a vote for an unqualified candidate,” the Senate’s top Democrat said. “I hope against hope that another Republican will have the courage … [to] join us.”
Schumer suggested Republicans are privately saying they wish Trump picked someone else, calling DeVos a “negative trifecta.”
Democrats forced a rare all-night session to try to rally public support behind their opposition to DeVos’s nomination, including protesting outside of the Capitol with progressive groups. In retrospect it was all for nothing.
And another piece of historical trivia: DeVos just got the most “no” votes of any education secretary in history.
Betsy DeVos just got the most “no” votes of any education secretary in history https://t.co/Ls7a7GB5KW pic.twitter.com/nb8wfaKwK5
— Kevin Schaul (@kevinschaul) February 7, 2017