We just made history : Native Americans praise historic choice to have Deb Haaland lead Interior Ledyard King, USA TODAY
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WASHINGTON – For Oliver OJ Semans, President-elect Joe Biden s expected choice of New Mexico Democratic Congresswoman Deb Haaland as the first Native American secretary of the Interior Department isn t just about the policies she ll pursue for Indian Country or the tribal relationships she ll be overseeing.
It s also about the simple act of acknowledgement.
“Deb being in the Interior would be removing that invisible cloak that they have put on us all these centuries and making more and more people aware we are here and who we are, said Semans, a political activist and an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.
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President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Rep. Deb Haaland to be secretary of the Interior. If confirmed, she will be the first Native American to serve in that position.
The Department of the Interior is home to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Haaland, 59, D-N.M., is an enrolled citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna Native American tribe and serves on the House Natural Resources Committee. She was one of the first two Native American women elected to the United States Congress, the other being Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan.
Biden has vowed to appoint a diverse Cabinet, noting on several occasions that he wants his administration to look like the United States. Haaland s appointment is the latest example of that effort.
Biden to select Deb Haaland as interior secretary, the first Native American to hold that position, if confirmed Rebecca Morin and Ledyard King, USA TODAY
Rep. Deb Haaland expected to become Interior Secretary, first Native American to hold seat
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President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Rep. Deb Haaland to be secretary of the Interior. If confirmed, she will be the first Native American to serve in that position.
The Department of the Interior is home to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Haaland, 59, D-N.M., is an enrolled citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna Native American tribe and serves on the House Natural Resources Committee. She was one of the first two Native American women elected to the United States Congress, the other being Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan.