For the first time in history, the Vice President of the United States cast the decisive vote in appointing a minister. The senators' votes were evenly divided

The US Senate has approved Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. The casting vote was cast by Vice President Mike Pence, as the votes of the senators were equally divided, 50 to 50.

46 Democratic senators, two Republicans and two independent senators voted against the appointment of DeVos.

As noted by The Hill, this is the first time in the history of the United States when the vice president had to cast a casting vote in order to approve the candidacy of a minister. Typically, ministerial nominees who are not supported by the Senate ask the president to withdraw their nominations, Reuters writes.

• In the United States, the Vice President is the President of the Senate, which has 100 members. If the votes are equally divided, the Vice President may cast the casting vote. This has happened 245 times in US history.
• Betsy DeVos is an entrepreneur, head of the investment company WindQuiest, and a sponsor of the Republican Party. She openly advocates the development of alternatives to conventional public schools, including independent publicly funded charter schools.
• Opponents of DeVos' nomination, including during Senate hearings , pointed to her lack of educational competence. The Democratic Party said , in part, that its experience in this area comes down to "liquidating public schools."