DeVos Has Had 24-7 Security Since Her Confirmation, Totaling $19.8 Million

on October 24, 2018 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 24: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos (2nd L) attends an East Room event at the White House October 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted an event to mark the one-year ann... WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 24: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos (2nd L) attends an East Room event at the White House October 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted an event to mark the one-year anniversary of the administration's declaration of combating opioid crisis. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has had around-the-clock security provided by the U.S. Marshals Service since she was confirmed in February 2017, a service that will cost taxpayers $19.8 million by September 2019, NBC News reported.

That figured far exceeds the $3.5 million Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt spent on security before he resigned over criticism of his lavish spending.

The Education Department — not DeVos personally — requested the security detail a few days after she was blocked from entering a Washington, D.C. middle school by protesters, according to NBC. The Justice Department told NBC that DeVos had received threats, the nature of which were unclear. A Education Department spokesperson told NBC that “it should be obvious that” the threats “are significant.”

The security from the Marshals Service — which currently does not protect any other Cabinet official and has only protected the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the past — cost $5.3 million in 2017 and $6.8 million this year. The service is projected to cost $7.4 million next fiscal year, NBC reported.

Read the full report here. 

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: