Last-ditch bid by Democrats to stop Trump's education pick Betsy DeVos as they force senators through 24 hours of speeches 

  • The Senate will be staying in session around the clock this week as Democrats try to block some of President Donald Trump's more controversial nominees
  • Today Democrats lined up and spoke out against his nominee for education secretary Betsy DeVos, with many suggesting she wasn't qualified 
  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the floor to shame Democrats for holding up the nominees, as so far they've only confirmed four  

By Associated Press and Nikki Schwab, U.s. Political Reporter For Dailymail.com

Published: 12:58 EST, 6 February 2017 | Updated: 18:08 EST, 6 February 2017

The Senate will be in session around the clock this week as Republicans aim to confirm more of President Donald Trump's Cabinet picks over Democratic opposition.

Democrats intend to drag out the process as much as possible using all the time they can under the Senate's arcane rules.

That means keeping the Senate in session 24 hours a day, beginning Monday as senators head to a showdown vote on Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos.

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Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren railed against the nomination of Betsy DeVos for education secretary and suggested the likely outgoing Sen. Jeff Sessions shouldn't get to vote for her 

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren railed against the nomination of Betsy DeVos for education secretary and suggested the likely outgoing Sen. Jeff Sessions shouldn't get to vote for her 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell needled Democrats for dragging their feet on getting President Donald Trump's nominee confirmed 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell needled Democrats for dragging their feet on getting President Donald Trump's nominee confirmed 

DeVos, a wealthy GOP donor, has drawn particularly fierce opposition. 

She's an advocate for school choice and charter schools, which Democrats fear will have her stripping money away from public schools.  

Two GOP senators –Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski – have announced they plan to oppose her, which could result in a 50-50 Senate vote Tuesday. 

Vice President Mike Pence would then come in to break the tie.   

Additionally, the Senate plans to vote on the nomination of one of their own, Sen. Jeff Sessions, who is Trump's attorney general pick. 

Also scheduled would be votes on Steve Mnuchin for treasury secretary and Rep. Tom Price, who Trump wants to run the Department of Health and Human Services. 

As Democrats spent speech after speech calling DeVos unfit to run the education department, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shamed them for holding Trump's nominations up. 

The GOP Senate leader noted how by this time in previous administration, 12 nominations had been given the Senate's seal of approval for President Barack Obama, all 14 were confirmed for President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton had 13 of his choices. 

So far, Trump only has four. 

'Well, Mr. President, it seems this gridlock and opposition has far less to do with the nominees actually before us than the man who nominated them,' McConnell said, speaking to the chair. 

He suggested Democrats 'simply cannot – cannot – accept the results of a democratic election.' And he tsk-tsked groups on the left who are pressuring Democratic senators to 'continue to resist.'

'Democrats don't have to like that decision but they do have a responsibility to our country,' McConnell said. 

Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn echoed McConnell several minutes later when he spoke on the Senate floor.  

'This behavior is really juvenile if you ask me and it can't really accomplish anything,' Cornyn said. 'It's a strategy in search of a goal.'  

But Democrats spent hours reading letters from their constituents, trying to convince one more Republican – all that would be needed to kill DeVos' chances – to join them tomorrow. 

Speaking for about 57 minutes on the floor, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren said 'it was difficult to imagine a worse choice' for education secretary. 

'I rise today to call on my colleagues to reject the nomination of Betsy DeVos,' Warren said on the Senate floor, according to The Hill. 

'The Republicans have made it clear no matter her experience, no matter her radical views ... they will ram this nomination down the throats of the American people sideways,' 

Warren didn't believe Sessions, about to be confirmed as attorney general, should be about to vote for DeVos in the Senate first, calling it a 'massive conflict of interest.' 

'Now with at least 50 senators ... publicly opposed to this nomination, the Republican leadership has rigged the vote so that Sen. Sessions can drag her across the finish line just before he is confirmed as attorney general,' Warren said. 

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Democrat from DeVos' home state of Michigan, talked about how the Republican fundraiser's educational efforts have harmed education in the state.   

Stabenow accused of now only negatively impacting public education, but making charter schools less accountable and transparent.  

'Her vision of education and her actions have, unfortunately, played a major role in undermining our pubic schools,' Stabenow said on the Senate floor.  

Of her fellow Michiganders she said, 'overwhelmingly they've told me that Betsy DeVos should not be our secretary of education.'  

 'I've gotten more mail, more email, more phone calls on this nominee than any other – and I've gotten a lot on a lot of nominees – but there is a board outcry,' Stabenow said. 

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