Short one critical but elusive Republican “no” vote against Ms. DeVos — a billionaire philanthropist with little experience in public schools<br />and a remarkably shaky showing at her confirmation hearing — Democrats on Monday did the only thing they could: They talked.<br />After days of grasping at procedural hurdles, Democrats held vigil against Betsy DeVos, Mr. Trump’s polarizing nominee for education secretary,<br />and promised to spend the final 24 hours before her confirmation vote Tuesday reiterating their objections.<br />2 Republican, said the Senate session would not end until lawmakers confirmed four of Mr. Trump’s nominees: Ms. DeVos, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama as attorney general, Representative Tom Price of Georgia to lead the Department of Health<br />and Human Services, and Steven T. Mnuchin as Treasury secretary.<br />A version of this article appears in print on February 7, 2017, on Page A14 of the New York edition with<br />the headline: Short One Vote to Defeat DeVos, Democrats Vow to Hold Senate Floor Through the Night.
