This past Monday, the US Senate confirmed that Congresswoman Deb Haaland had been elected as the new Secretary of Interior, making her the first-ever Native American to be appointed in this position, the cabinet confirmed that Haaland received 51 votes in favor and 40 opposing votes.
As the new cabinet secretary, Haaland will be in charge of managing public lands, many of them being used by the US government which were taken from indigenous people during the West expansion.
During her celebratory confirmation, Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader for the Democratic Party mentioned, a “long and problematic relationship between the Federal Government and its Native tribes”.
“For a long time, indigenous tribes have been denied a seat at the table where decisions that affect their lives and lands are taken ”, the democrat confirmed.
Halland is an enrolled member of the Pueblo Laguna and The Washington Post states that her family’s roots in New Mexico can be traced back around 35 generations.
In addition to managing public lands and the interior, Haaland will be handling the exploitation of fossil combustibles in these territories and overseeing more than 500 indigenous tribes and reservations across the nation.
Haaland is against exploiting fossil fuels in federal lands and supports a drastic reduction in emissions to fight the climate crisis, a posture that made the majority of Republicans vote against her.
In fact, back in 2016, the new Secretary of Interior, protested against the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline, with the help of the Obama cabinet, led by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
The election of Haaland, who since 2018 has been part of New Mexico’s congress, was received as a satisfactory accomplishment for the most progressive wing of the democratic party. It’s been set that the new secretary will be sworn in on this upcoming Tuesday.
Photo: EFE
