During her confirmation hearing, Kimberly Richey emphasized her commitment to protecting student rights, including those of Jewish students, if confirmed as the assistant secretary for civil rights. However, Democratic senators questioned her ability to manage a growing complaints backlog, noting that the Office for Civil Rights has seen staffing cuts that have contributed to a significant increase in complaints since the Trump administration began. Richey avoided direct answers, citing her lack of current access to departmental decision-making, and stated her intent to advocate for proper resources post-confirmation.
"Should I be confirmed as assistant secretary for civil rights, I will proudly be joining an administration that will not allow students to be intimidated, harassed, assaulted or excluded from their institutions."
"As a nominee, I do not have access to information with regard to the decisions that are being made at the department... I'm always going to advocate for OCR to have the resources it needs to do its job."
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