Deb Haaland Makes History As First Native American Cabinet Secretary

The Senate on Monday confirmed Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe of New Mexico, as the 54th secretary of the Interior Department , the massive federal agency that oversees roughly one-fifth of all land in the U.S.

Haaland, 60, makes history as the first Native American Cabinet secretary and the first Native American to lead the the 172-year-old department.

Mondays vote was 51-40. Every Democrat present voted to confirm Haaland. Only four Republicans Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Susan Collins (Maine) crossed the aisle to support her nomination.

The progressive lawmakers ascent to one of the most powerful posts in government has energized Indigenous groups and represents a monumental shift for an agency once central to the U.S. governments hideous treatment of Native Americans, including removing them from ancestral lands, forcing them onto reservations and trying to assimilate them into civilized American society.

The historic nature of my confirmation is not lost on me, but I will say its not about me, Haaland said in her Senate confirmation hearing last month. Rather, I hope this nomination will be an inspiration for Americans, moving forward together as one nation and creating opportunities for all of us.

Thank you to the U.S. Senate for your confirmation vote today. As Secretary of @Interior, I look forward to collaborating with all of you. I am ready to serve. #BeFierce

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Thank you to the U.S. Senate for your confirmation vote today. As Secretary of @Interior , I look forward to collaborating with all of you. I am ready to serve. #BeFierce
Deb Haaland (@DebHaalandNM) March 15, 2021

Haalands confirmation also marks a drastic change from the way former President Donald Trump s administration treated the nations tribes.

The Trump administration did more to undermine the relationship between the federal government and the sovereign tribes than many have in decades, from desecrating sacred burial sites to building a border wall to neglecting the desperate situation of Native tribes during the pandemic. Shame on them, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said ahead of Haalands vote. In elevating Rep. Haaland to lead the Department of Interior, we reset the relationship between the federal government and tribal nations to one of cooperation, mutual respect and trust.