Capitol Hill Switchboard Flooded With Calls Opposing Anti-Public Schools Activist Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary

‘Trump Has Essentially Just Put AMWAY in Charge of the Department of Education’

Capitol Hill switchboard operators have been overwhelmed by what one described as a â€œtsunamiâ€ of phone calls to Senate offices this week, most in opposition to many of President Donald Trump‘s cabinet selections. NCRM learned Thursday that an overwhelming number of the calls, according to Senate staffers and Capitol Hill sources, are in direct opposition to the nomination of billionaire political activist and AMWAY heir Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary.

In separate interviews with The Hill and NCRM a spokesperson for Virginia Democratic Senator and former Vice-Presidential candidate Tim Kaine relayed that the Senator has received more than 25,000 emails and letters regarding DeVos. Spokeswoman Sarah Peck said that a majority opposed DeVos, adding that the phones and voicemail system for Kaine’s office has been chaotic.

According to one Senate staffer, GOP leadership has also been inundated with phone calls asking Senators to vote to not confirm DeVos. Pennsylvania Democratic Senator Bob Casey’s spokesperson, John Rizzo, indicated that Casey’s office had received over 50,000 emails and letters all in opposition to DeVos.Â

Jenna Mason, Press Secretary for Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski acknowledged that Murkowski’s offices had received a greater than normal volume of calls. In a series of tweets Tuesday, the Senator wrote acknowledging that her Alaska and D.C. offices have been â€œoverwhelmed with calls from the lower 48, which has made it difficult for Alaskans to express their opinions.â€Â

Mason, referencing the Senator’s tweets, said, â€œThe senator tweeted yesterday because she heard that some Alaskans were having trouble getting through to her offices and she wanted to make sure that she is able to hear from them, so she gave them alternative options to reach her.â€Â

WATCH:Â Everything You Need to Know About Why Betsy DeVos Is Unqualified to Be Secretary of Education

Murkowski sits on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee that is poised to confirm or reject DeVos as Education Secretary.

During this past Saturday’sÂ massive protests and women’s marches, independent filmmaker Michael Moore also called for Senators to reject DeVos. Moore, a Michigan native, has opposed DeVos’s nomination based in part on her record with the charter school movement in Michigan, which she backed. Moore has accused her of destroying public education, particularly in the city of Detroit. In a tweet immediately after her nomination, Moore said that â€œTrump essentially just put AMWAY in charge of the Department of Education.â€Â

Following her initial confirmation hearing, DeVos was ridiculed for advocating that guns should be allowed in schools among her other policy positions.