Lee’s amendment funds medical positions at DeVos’s expense

The U.S. House Wednesday adopted an amendment to a Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill to help hospitals and care facilities take on more residencies and internships.

The increased funding for Graduate Medical Education positions “will be paid for by making cuts to the over $400 million budget that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos currently has at her disposal for cars, swanky hotel conference rooms, and other unnecessary spending at the expense of American taxpayers,” according to a statement from Lee’s office.

“By increasing our nationwide investment in opportunities after graduation, we will expand our doctor pipeline,” Lee said. “Where these students complete their residencies is where they are most likely to begin their practice, which is why this amendment will help keep residents in Nevada and call our state home.”

Lee’s amendment passed with bipartisan support that included 130 House Republicans.

DeVos, among the most unpopular and vilified of all Trump cabinet officials, flies on her own private planes (her family reportedly owns 12) at her own expense. She has come under criticism however for an extensive publicly funded security detail of U.S. Marshals that is unique only to DeVos among members of Trump’s cabinet. The education budget DeVos proposed also included hundreds of millions of dollars for private and charter school programs.