Obama to nominate John B. King Jr. to officially take the role of education secretary
President Obama is slated to nominate John B. King Jr. to officially lead the Department of Education, where he has served as acting secretary since the start of the year, according to several people familiar with the decision.
The administration wants to have King firmly in place as Congress embarks on the reauthorization of higher education legislation, said officials who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly. King, who took office when Arne Duncan stepped down in December, was originally going to remain the acting head of the department for the rest of Obama’s time in office. Officials from the department and White House declined to comment.
Republican congressional leaders in the Senate and the House have said they want King, 41, to undergo the vetting process. In December, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate education panel and an education secretary under President George H.W. Bush, personally urged Obama to nominate John B. King Jr. to officially take the role of education secretary - The Washington Post:
