Murray Statement on the Nomination of Miguel Cardona to Serve as Secretary of the Department of Education

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the announcement that President-elect Biden has nominated Dr. Miguel Cardona to serve as Secretary of the Department of Education:

“Students, parents, and educators nationwide have been thrown into uncertainty and chaos we’ve simply never seen before. They need a Secretary of Education who understands their responsibility is to students, first and foremost and who has the experience to help lead our nation’s schools out of this crisis in a way that deals head-on with the inequities leaving so many of our students behind.  

“All of this makes Miguel Cardona an excellent choice. And after four years of a Secretary of Education who had absolutely no experience in public education, I’m thrilled Dr. Cardona is a former elementary school teacher, professor, and principal.

“Dr. Cardona’s focus education equity also means we’ll have a Secretary of Education who understands getting “back to normal” isn’t enough. As this pandemic has further highlighted the longstanding inequities and systemic racism students deal with every day—we need to double down on closing achievement gaps across our country to ensure that every student—no matter their race, socio-economic status, disability, or where they live—can get a quality public education—and we also need to take significant steps to make a college education more affordable, accessible, and attainable.

“Given how critical this role is in helping students—from pre-k through college—recover from this crisis, I will do everything I can to make sure this qualified and experienced nominee receives a swift, and fair consideration.”

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