Senate committee approves Cardona for education secretary

WASHINGTON — A Senate committee voted 17-5 to advance the nomination of Miguel Cardona, the Connecticut commissioner of education and President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Education, to the Senate floor.

A full Senate vote confirming Cardona as secretary of education is expected soon.

Cardona committed to helping all the nation’s schools safely reopen within Biden’s first 100 days in office, building on his experience in Connecticut during his Senate confirmation hearing last week. In Connecticut, Cardona issued detailed guidance to schools on how to reopen for in-person learning this fall, but did not mandate schools bring students back to the classroom.

Cardona, 45, was the first Latino to serve as Connecticut’s education commissioner. He grew up in a Puerto Rican family in Meriden, Conn., where he later was a classroom teacher, principal and assistant superintendent.

One of the five Republicans who voted no, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., grilled Cardona last week about his position on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Education issued a decision that a Connecticut policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls sports violated the girls’ civil rights. Cardona said he believes schools have a legal responsibility to provide access to extracurricular activities to all students, including transgender students, and noted “discrimination based on gender is illegal.”

Republican Sens. Roger Marshall of Kansas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Mike Braun of Indiana, and Tim Scott of South Carolina also voted no.

Sen. Chris Murphy, DConn., voted in support of Cardona, after introducing him in his hearing last week.

“My friend Miguel will make a great secretary of education—and that’s evident by today’s overwhelming vote in committee,” Murphy said. “Miguel is respected by both Democrats and Republicans alike, and has a plan to put our students and educators first.”

Pool / Getty Images U.S. Secretary of Education nominee Miguel Cardona testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Capitol Hill on Feb. 3.