Biden Taps Rep. Deb Haaland As Interior Secretary

The Washington Post reports:

President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Democratic Rep. Deb Haaland, a congresswoman from New Mexico, to serve as the first Native American interior secretary in a historic pick for a department that oversees the country’s vast natural resources, including tribal lands.

A member of Pueblo of Laguna, the 60 year-old Haaland would become the first descendant of the original people to populate North America to run the Interior Department. It marks a turning point for a 171-year-old institution that has often had a fraught relationship with 574 federally recognized tribes.

The Week reports:

Biden has so far nabbed two Democratic congressmembers from the House’s already-slim majority, and his reported top choice of Haaland for interior secretary would only narrow House Democrats’ power further.

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday encouraged Biden to pick Haaland anyway, saying she “knows the territory” and would be an “excellent choice” for the post.

SCOOP: Biden has picked @RepDebHaaland as interior secretary She will be the first Native American to run a department that oversees the country’s vast natural resources, including tribal lands. By @eilperin and @dino_grandoni https://t.co/CvNoDv0v6x

— Matt Viser (@mviser) December 17, 2020