Deb Haaland Likely to be Confirmed for Interior Secretary

On March 4th, a Senate committee voted to approve Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM), and if confirmed, she will be the first Native American Interior Secretary and cabinet member.

Rep. Deb Haaland was one of the first Native Americans to be elected to the House of Representatives along with Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KA) in 2018. She grew up in a military family and attended 13 public schools. Haaland was a single mother and relied on food stamps and has lived paycheck to paycheck. She is a citizen of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico.

If Rep. Haaland is confirmed, she will be leading an agency that oversees 500 million acres of public land and upholds the government’s responsibility for the 574 recognized Indian tribes and Alaskan Native villages. As secretary of the department, Haaland will also manage public land, national parks, wildlife refuges, and culturally significant sites.

“Climate change is the challenge of our lifetime, and it’s imperative that we invest in an equitable, renewable energy economy,” Haaland said.

– Deb Haaland

According to NPR, Haaland co-sponsored the Green New Deal and even joined protestors at the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. Haaland also spoke out against oil and gas drilling on public lands and fracking. She has the support of all Democrats and the progressives in the Democratic Party.

In an article by the New York Times, Republicans are staunchly against Rep. Haaland’s nomination to be Interior Secretary, except  Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) who announced their support for her. Republicans have focused on her statements about oil and gas explorations and fracking. A Senator of the GOP also called Haaland’s view on the environment “radical.”

“Representative Haaland has a long record as a vehement opponent of American fossil fuels,”  said Senator John Basarro (R-WY).

With the support of moderate senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Murkowski, and Collins, Haaland is likely to be confirmed as the first Native American Interior Secretary.