In historic pick, Biden taps Haaland as interior secretary
New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland promised to “be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land.” Author: ELLEN KNICKMEYER (Associated Press) Published: 12:49 PM MST December 17, 2020 Updated: 2:55 AM MST December 18, 2020
President-elect Joe Biden selected New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his nominee for interior secretary on Thursday, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation s tribes for generations.
Tribal leaders and activists around the country, along with many Democratic figures, cheered Haaland s selection after urging Biden for weeks to choose her to lead the Department of Interior. They stood behind her candidacy even when concerns that Democrats might risk their majority in the House if Haaland yielded her seat in Congress appeared to threaten her
Haaland, 60, is a member of the Laguna Pueblo and, as she likes to say, a 35th-generation resident of New Mexico. The role of interior secretary would put her in charge of an agency that has tremendous sway not only over the nearly 600 federally recognized tribes, but also over much of the nation’s vast public lands, waterways, wildlife, national parks and mineral wealth.
Haaland tweeted after the news was made public that “growing up in my mother s Pueblo household made me fierce.
“I ll be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land,” she pledged.
The pick breaks a 245-year record of non-Native officials, mostly male, serving as the top federal official over American Indian affairs. The federal government often worked to dispossess Native Americans of their land and, until recently, to assimilate them into white culture.
Biden Taps Rep Haaland To Be First Native American Interior Secretary UNITED STATES - APRIL 23: Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., does a TV interview outside of the U.S. Capitol before the House vote on the $483.4 billion economic relief package on Thursday, April 23, 2020.(Photo By Bill Clark. UNITED STATES - APRIL 23: Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., does a TV interview outside of the U.S. Capitol before the House vote on the $483.4 billion economic relief package on Thursday, April 23, 2020.(Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) MORE LESS December 17, 2020 3:38 p.m.
President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary, according to a person familiar with the decision, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation’s tribes for g
Deb Haaland to lead Department of the Interior: AP source - South Florida Sun-Sentinel sun-sentinel.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sun-sentinel.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In historic pick, Biden taps Haaland as interior secretary
By ELLEN KNICKMEYER The Associated Press,Updated December 17, 2020, 8:11 p.m.
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Deb Haaland, then a Democratic congressional candidate, in Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 8, 2018.ADRIA MALCOLM/NYT
President-elect Joe Biden selected New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his nominee for interior secretary on Thursday, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nationâs tribes for generations.
Tribal leaders and activists around the country, along with many Democratic figures, cheered Haalandâs selection after urging Biden for weeks to choose her to lead the Department of Interior. They stood behind her candidacy even when concerns that Democrats might risk their majority in the House if Haaland yielded her seat in Congress appeared to threaten her nomination.