Question: Since when has the Secretary for Education become a high risk job?
Answer: Since Trump appointed Betsy DeVos to the position.
There were a lot of unhappy parents who knew she didn't care about public schools, and that she bought her position with a $10 million donation to Trump's campaign.
What no one knew was the cost of her nomination victory would be a million dollars a month (you heard that right) from a department that's facing cutbacks of up to $9 billion dollars!
I'll bet you're curious what triggered this unusual need for protection from the U.S. Marshall's office. I was.
Normally law enforcement officers are responsible for protecting federal judges, transporting prisoners, investigating fugitives, and protecting witnesses.
According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, a handful of protesters blocked her from entering a Washington middle school.
Those angry parents must have been a terrifying sight because the usual civil servants aren't going to be enough to protect her.
It takes 24 marshal's to do that job now thanks to her stance on charter schools and special education causing protesters to show up at every school she visits.
DeVos will be under the marshal's office protection through September, but - being such a popular pick - she may have to use them for the duration of her term.
Looks like one of DeVos' first budgetary challenges is figuring out how the Department of Education is going to come up with a million dollars a month for her security.
That's not what you'd call a normal expense. But these aren't normal times. Or nominees.
Time for me to walk on down the road...
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