Miguel Cardona is one step closer to becoming next U.S. education secretary

Miguel Cardona during his confirmation hearing

The U.S. Senate committee overseeing education on Thursday approved the nomination of Miguel Cardona to become President Joe Biden’s secretary of education.

In a swift meeting, senators on the committee voted 17 to 5 to forward Cardona’s nomination to the U.S. Senate for final approval.

Committee Chairwoman Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Cardona is “well qualified” and “ready to work with Congress.”

Sen. Richard Burr, the committee’s ranking Republican from North Carolina, said, “Dr. Cardona has the background qualifications, temperament, to serve as secretary of education.”

Read more about his confirmation hearing here, the work he did as an educator in Meriden here, and his efforts to reopen schools as the state’s education commissioner here.