WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate is expected to vote on the confirmation of more than 100 of President Donald Trump’s partisan nominees, including Kimberly Richey as assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education — a position charged with protecting every student’s right to learn in a safe and equitable environment.
But Richey has already shown the nation what kind of leader she would be. In her previous stints, including when she ran the Department’s Office for Civil Rights, she repeatedly failed to stand up for students targeted by discrimination based on race, disability, and sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity.
The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) Action Fund, which opposes Richey’s nomination, detailed these examples and other reasons why she is utterly unqualified for the role in a letter recently sent to senators.
Gaylynn Burroughs, vice president for education and workplace justice at the NWLC Action Fund, issued the following statement ahead of the vote:
“A vote to confirm Kimberly Richey is a vote to dismantle the civil-rights protections that have been central to the Department of Education since its founding.
“We know this because we’ve seen it before: while in the first Trump administration, Richey demonstrated a clear willingness to sidestep the responsibilities of her office, strip the Department of its power to protect young people, and weaponize Title IX to promote discrimination.
“Students and parents deserve government officials who will enforce the law and defend every child’s right to learn free from discrimination. We don’t need someone who will green-light an anti-civil-rights agenda. We need leaders who will fight for safe, supportive learning environments for all.”
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