Senate moves to final vote on education secretary

The Senate voted early this morning to cut off debate about Betsy DeVos’ nomination as education secretary, clearing a major hurdle and setting her up for a final confirmation vote, expected Monday. The 52-48 procedural vote to end debate comes after two key Republican senators vowed to oppose her nomination. On Wednesday, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, expressed concern on the Senate floor about DeVos’ commitment to school choice and lack of experience with education law and regulation. If all Senate Democrats vote against DeVos and no more Republicans oppose her nomination, the tally would be 50-50, leaving Vice President Mike Pence to cast the tie-breaking vote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.