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Education Secretary Betsy DeVos submits resignation

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in the White House in August 2020. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos submitted her resignation to President Trump Thursday night, a day after "March for Trump" protesters invaded the U.S. Capitol building, a senior White House official with direct knowledge of her letter tells Axios.

Why it matters: DeVos is the second Cabinet secretary to exit the administration in the wake of the deadly Capitol riot. Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao submitted her resignation this week, effective Monday, Jan. 11.

What she's saying: "Impressionable children are watching all of this, and they are learning from us," DeVos said in her letter.

  • “There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me.”
  • "I believe we have a moral obligation to exercise good judgment and model the behavior we hope they would emulate. They must know from us that America is greater than what has 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 freedom."

Of note: Chao and DeVos are the longest-serving members of the Cabinet based on their respective confirmation dates.

The bottom line: With 13 days left in office, Trump has lost complete control of his party.

Go deeper: Republicans turn on Trump after mob violence at the Capitol

Go deeper

Jonathan Swan, Zachary Basu
Jan 16, 2021 - Politics & Policy
Off the Rails

Episode 1: A premeditated lie lit the fire

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Beginning on election night 2020 and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol with two weeks left in his term. This Axios series takes you inside the collapse of a president.

Episode 1: Trump’s refusal to believe the election results was premeditated. He had heard about the “red mirage” — the likelihood that early vote counts would tip more Republican than the final tallies — and he decided to exploit it.

"Jared, you call the Murdochs! Jason, you call Sammon and Hemmer!”

Go deeper (6 min. read)Arrow
Jonathan Swan, Zachary Basu
Jan 19, 2021 - Politics & Policy
Off the Rails

Episode 6: Last stand in Georgia

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Drew Angerer, Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Beginning on election night 2020 and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol with two weeks left in his term. Axios takes you inside the collapse of a president with a special series.

Episode 6: Georgia had not backed a Democratic presidential candidate since 1992 and Donald Trump's defeat in this Deep South stronghold, and his reaction to that loss, would help cost Republicans the U.S. Senate as well. Georgia was Trump's last stand.

On Air Force One, President Trump was in a mood. He had been clear he did not want to return to Georgia, and yet somehow he'd been conscripted into another rally on the night of Jan. 4.

Go deeper (4 min. read)Arrow
Shawna Chen
59 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Kaine, Collins' censure resolution seeks to bar Trump from holding office again

Sen. Tim Kaine (center) and Sen. Susan Collins (right). Photo: Andrew Harnik/Pool via Getty Images

Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) are forging ahead with a draft proposal to censure former President Trump, and are considering introducing the resolution on the Senate floor next week.

Why it matters: Senators are looking for a way to condemn Trump on the record as it becomes increasingly unlikely Democrats will obtain the 17 Republican votes needed to gain a conviction, Axios Alayna Treene writes. "I think it’s important for the Senate's leadership to understand that there are alternatives," Kaine told CNN on Wednesday.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow