Hoeven: Senate Confirms Kirsten Baesler as Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education

Hoeven: Senate Confirms Kirsten Baesler as Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education

WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate confirmed Kirsten Baesler as Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) at the Department of Education. Hoeven has been working to advance Baesler's confirmation, after recommending her for the position to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

Baesler was confirmed as part of a Senate measure that allowed 108 civilian nominees, who were favorably reported out of committee, to be considered en bloc. The vote comes in response to unprecedented obstruction by Senate Democrats, who have drug out the confirmation process for every single one of President Trump's civilian nominees, having refused to allow even nominations with strong bipartisan support to be confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent (UC).

"Kirsten Baesler is the right person for this job. Her career and experience have equipped her well for the responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary position, and she will be a great partner as we work to both improve outcomes for students and return decision-making to the state and local levels," said Hoeven. "Her confirmation is long overdue. Thankfully, working together with my Senate Republican colleagues, we have created a path forward for overcoming Democratic obstruction and confirming these routine nominations, all of whom were approved by the committees of jurisdiction."

-###-