WASHINGTON – Ahead of the committee vote, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and four other HELP Committee members in raising concerns about Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos’s potential conflicts of interest, particularly those in higher education, that may not be resolved by her public ethics agreement. In a letter sent to DeVos last week, the senators requested a response to a series of questions about their concerns before the HELP committee votes on her nomination. The HELP Committee is scheduled to vote on DeVos’ nomination Tuesday morning. 

The senators raised concerns that Devos’ agreement allows her to maintain financial interests in eight different entities, some of which have investments that could present conflicts. The information also raises concerns about family trusts in which she will retain an interest, and the lack of transparency in the investments of these trusts. Finally, it notes potential conflicts of interest concerns related to the holdings of Ms. DeVos's extended family. 

The senators wrote, “[W]e are concerned that, rather than allaying concerns, your ethics arrangement raises additional questions about your potential conflicts as Education Secretary…[Y]ou have disclosed financial connections to a debt collector and for-profit colleges that depend on the Department of Education for their revenue. Given the fact that you will continue to hold positions in family trusts that are not transparent in their holdings, we ask for additional information to allay concerns that both the investments you will soon divest of, and your family’s trusts that you will continue to hold, will not create conflicts for you as Secretary of Education.”

“It is important not only that you comply with your ethics agreement, but that you answer HELP Committee members’ questions about additional concerns raised by the information contained in that agreement,” the senators continued. 

In addition to Murphy and Warren, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Maggie Hassan (D–NH) signed the letter.

Full text of the letter is available here.