Haaland to be first Native American to lead Interior Department

WASHINGTON — As thousands of Native Americans watched online, Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., was confirmed as secretary of the Interior Department by a 51-40 vote in the Senate, making her the first American Indian to lead an agency that manages a vast portfolio of federal land and the oil and mineral wealth that lies beneath it.

Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo Nation in New Mexico and whose family ties in the country can be traced back 35 generations, will take control of a department that also oversees Indian Country, 574 federally recognized Native American and Alaska Native communities.

Four Republicans crossed party lines to vote for Haaland. The close vote reflected broad support from Democrats and overwhelming opposition from Republicans.

Many Republicans decried Haaland’s support for the Green New Deal, which calls for dramatically lowering fossil-fuel emissions, and her opposition to an expansion of oil and gas drilling on public land, saying the positions disqualified her to lead an agency that has traditionally promoted those ventures.

Sen. Tina Smith, DMinn., recalled how Republicans

launched a “ferocious” attack against Haaland, calling her views on managing public land extreme and “radical” during her committee confirmation hearing. Meanwhile, Smith said, some of those same senators posed little opposition to Tom Vilsack’s nomination to run the Agriculture Department, although many of his views are similar to Haaland’s.

“I just find it difficult to take these Republican

attacks at face value,” Smith said. “Once again a woman, and a woman of color, is being held to a different standard and we need to call it.”

Two key GOP senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, broke with their caucus days before the vote to announce their support for Haaland.

Murkowski said she would vote to make history despite her strong reservations about the effect a secretary with Haaland’s views could have on her oil-rich state.

Native Alaskans make up about 20% of her state’s population, according to the 2014 Census update,

and hundreds of women submitted an open letter in the Anchorage Daily News in support of Haaland. Alaska’s second senator, Republican Dan Sullivan, joined Murkowski in voting for Haaland.

Collins praised Haaland’s deep knowledge of Indian affairs and said the nominee gained her trust, and her vote, during a meeting.

Haaland is scheduled to be sworn in Wednesday. In addition to being the first Native American to run Interior, she will be only the third woman to run the agency and the first American Indian to hold a Cabinet-level position.