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Leaders of Native American tribal groups are celebrating the Senate confirmation of Deb Haaland as the new Secretary of the Interior.
Haaland, a member of New Mexico's Laguna Pueblo tribe, once served as a Democratic Congresswoman for New Mexico. Because the Interior Secretary has a lot of direct involvement with Native American tribes and their territories, other tribal leaders are hopeful that her confirmation may help make Native American issues more prominent in the national agenda.
"Tribes across the nation, we prayed this day would come. There's a lot of excitement. But there's still skepticism. There's a lot of healing that needs to be done," Kenneth Kahn, tribal chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, told The Los Angeles Times.
Jeff Grubbe, tribal chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, told the same publication, "She's one of us. It's good to have one of us in a position that represents the administration and the federal government, but also represents us. She's the bridge. Whatever the issue is that's affecting Indian Country, I know she will be someone we can talk to who will have the Biden administration's ear."
The interior secretary helps manage public lands, including waterways, wildlife, natural resources and endangered species. The secretary also oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs as well as the federal government's relationship with Native American tribal governments.
Past Native Americans serving in the executive branch haven't always overseen positive changes for Native American communities, according to Doug Kiel, a member of the Oneida Nation and an Assistant Professor of History at Northwestern University, who spoke with Time magazine.
For example, Ely Parker, the man who became the first Native American Commissioner of Indian Affairs back in 1869, mostly helped relocate Native Americans onto smaller-sized reservations, Kiel said.
During Haaland's Senate confirmation hearing, Republicans questioned her past opposition to hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and expanding fossil fuel development on public lands. Republicans also questioned her support for the Green New Deal (GND). The GND is a proposed legislation package that seeks to eliminate U.S. greenhouse gas pollution by 2030 while also creating new jobs in clean, renewable and zero-emission energy sources.
Biden has said that he will not ban fracking. He also said that the GND is part of his framework for addressing climate change. His administration has also temporarily paused new oil and gas leases on federal lands.
Newsweek contacted the Bureau of Indian Affairs for comment.
