The Senate confirmed the election of President Donald Trump to oversee higher education policies that have deep ties to the for-profit university industry, with 50-45 votes.
Senate majority John Toon filed a wrap-up of Kent’s nomination earlier in the week. And the school board had already advanced Kent with a 12-11 vote in late May without a hearing.
The Secretary of the Department of Education is accused of overseeing billions of federal financial aid and ensuring that American universities provide quality education.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon previously told USA Today that Kent was a “nature leader” and that her experiences and concerns “will be the ideal choice for the Education Secretary” for students.
He had gained support from several prominent university trade groups opposed to Trump’s attacks on universities, but they said they supported Kent’s nomination. His confirmation came as the Trump administration was about to restructure higher education, and began researching many well-known universities.
Kent was already working at an agency on administration initiatives such as the K-12 School Choice. But before working for government, Kent had a long history of working for or near a for-profit university.
From 2008 to the end of 2015, Kent worked for the Education Officer, a for-profit university company. When he left, he was the vice president of legislative and regulatory issues. In 2015, the Justice Department announced that the company had agreed to a $13 million settlement to resolve accusations set in the federal financial aid system. The company said USA Today does not involve Kent in the settlement or fraud allegations.
Critics, including student advocacy groups and teachers’ unions, had asked the Senate Education Committee to pass hearings in Kent and answer questions about his time working for the company. And Dorothy Thomas, one of the original whistleblowers linked to the incident, expressed concern to someone in the company’s leadership position, who holds the position of secretary.
Kent also worked at the College of Career Education and College, for-profit university trade groups. He built a reputation for deep policy knowledge while opposing regulations aimed at for-profit university industries. The group’s CEO, Jason Altmaia, said Kent was not driven by partisan politics, and thus brings an unbiased view of the position of the secretary.
He then went to work as deputy director of education in the Glenn Youngkin administration of Virginia. Youngkin said in a prepared statement that Kent will improve the way Virginia manages the university, increasing transparency and putting more accountable to students and families. Democrat Gazala Hashmi, chairman of the Virginia Senate’s Education Committee, said USA Today is tuned to Kent in volatility in state accreditation and efforts to dismantle consumer protections.
In his departure message to the Commonwealth, Kent said he is proud to cut costs while seeking freedom of speech and accountability at a Virginia university. Chris Quintana is an investigative reporter for USA Today. He can be contacted via signal cquintana@usatoday.com or 202-308-9021. He’s on X on @cquintanadc
