Native leaders in Minnesota celebrate Haaland's historic confirmation to head Interior

Mar 19, 20210

count

Rep. Debra Haaland (D-NM), President Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of the Interior, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resource, at the U.S. Capitol on February 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. Photo by Leigh Vogel-Pool/Getty Images.

U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland made history on Monday when she became the first Native American to ever be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to hold a position in a president's cabinet.

In a 51-40 vote, senators confirmed Haaland, a New Mexico Democrat, to serve as secretary of Interior, where she will run a $21 billion agency that manages more than 450 million acres of public lands, including 50 million acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Nevada - as well as the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

She was backed by four Republican senators: Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, and Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/03/16/native-leaders-in-minnesota-optimistic-about-haalands-historic-confirmation-to-head-interior/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=bd179b5d-b3ce-461a-9a16-10f235a3649a