Representative Debra Haaland, a Democrat from New Mexico and a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, introduced 13 bills with bipartisan cosponsors in 2019. Dozens of lawmakers, some of them Republicans, say she is a good collaborator and an excellent champion of public lands. She has a 98 percent lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters, a mainstream environmental advocacy group. When President Joe Biden tapped her to lead the Department of the Interior, environmental groups, environmental justice advocates, and tribes rejoiced. Haaland will become the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history if the Senate confirms her.
“I would suggest respectfully you’ll find out that she will listen to you,” Republican Don Young, a representative from Alaska, told senators at Haaland’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday, urging them to support her nomination. If nothing else, he said, a president has the right to pick his “crew.”
But not everyone is on board with her confirmation. Haaland faced intense scrutiny from both Republicans and Democrats over her record this week. Senate hearings for Biden’s other nominees so far, including Pete Buttigieg and Jane... Read more
