Every environmentalist would love this job, but it comes with an incredible number of challenges," said Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Clubs land protection program. Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., President Biden's nominee for Secretary of the Interior, testifies at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The loss is staggering and raises serious questions on how we will rebuild our families, economyand workforce after losing so many. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., President Biden's nominee for Secretary of the Interior, testifies at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. After a contentious confirmation hearing and a near party-line vote, Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M. is likely going to be confirmed to lead the Department of the Interior. This question is especially daunting when we consider that 65% of those we have lost are our elders, wisdom keepersand culture bearers. She's once again on the precipice of history and carrying a torch for millions, but with several other contenders potentially in her way. Although Haaland was an English major, political science professor Fred Harris, who led the Democratic National Committee in the late '60s and ranfor president in the early '70s, sensed a likeminded soul when they metin his politics class at the University of New Mexico. Shes not in it for the fame or the glory," said New Mexico Gov. The Senate on Monday confirmed Ms Haaland as Interior Secretary by a vote of 51 to 40, making her the first Native cabinet secretary in US history. She doesnt have a spouse however has a little girl that she raised while being a single parent. For five years, Haaland successfully pushed her colleagues to adopt changes such as eco-friendly LED lights in their casinos, recycling programs, and electric vehicles for the security team. 2023 BridgeTower Media. But de Graaf worries that Udall, an Interior secretary widely recognized as the modern father of conservation, is being forgotten, a slight that he hopes to reverse with a recently released documentary. It also goes without saying that the Native American community is not a monolith; there are 574 nationally recognized Indian Nations, all of which have their unique cultures, needs, and relationships with the federal government. Now thatsame political savvy she used to mobilizeNative voters in 2008 for a victorious Obama has helpedher once again makehistory. You could tell right away this was a very smart and very committed person, said Harris, who successfully convinced Haaland to apply to law school a few years later. ButPueblo Indians have a history of resistance including theinfamous Pueblo Revolt in 1680 that temporarily chased the Spanish from New Mexico that has kept them on ancestral lands for the past 7,000 years. Earlier political career In 2012, Haaland served as the state's vote director for Native Americans in Barack Obama 's 2012 presidential reelection campaign. Haaland lost her bid for lieutenant governor, but instead of retreating she successfully set her sights on leading the state's Democratic Party. The COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting closures of federal facilities reflect the need for further investigation. ", told Data for Progress' Julian Brave NoiseCat, has pledged to ban new drilling on public lands, lost control of the New Mexico House of Representatives, reclaimed both chambers of the state legislature. Looking for the other side of the story? "I would like to explore the idea of making our public lands more accessible to people and making them cleaner so that we are not polluting as much.". She is important for a push by President-elect Joe Biden to assemble a different bureau. This will require someone who can successfully work across the aisle, and Ms. Haaland has a proven track record of this. New Mexico is having a moment in the sun as Biden considers who to add to his Cabinet. Haaland senses the magnitude of the moment. Haaland was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 . But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Early in Tom Perez's tenure as DNC chair, Haaland pushed him to bring more Native Americans into the party so they would have enough members to form a caucus, Rion Ramirez, now the Native American caucus chair told Insider. And once again, she's the underdog. She is likewise the previous seat of the New Mexico Leftist faction and an individual from the Laguna Pueblo clan. She accused the Trump administration of throwing that consultation "out the window" as his administration has sought to open more public lands to development and exploration for minerals. The Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund has been on the front lines in the battle against COVID and our wounds cut deep. These cookies do not store any personal information. Haaland's passion for the state and its deep Native history was always on display. Deb Haaland is the first Native American to serve as the United States Secretary of the Interior, appointed by Joe Biden in 2021. And while Haaland's seat is safely Democratic, nominating her for Interior would deprive House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of a vital vote for several months while the state holds a special election. She won. Deb Haaland has a daughter with name Somh Haaland who she raised on her own. I think she made it more effective, to be honest," Thiele added. But the voices looking to bend her ear will be many, including conservation groups, ranchers, hunters and fishermen andmining companies. Native American boarding school survivors of abuse and their descendants shared memories and tears in Arizona on U.S. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. PARAJE, N.M. Six members of the Laguna Pueblo community gathered last week in the cool, fragrant kitchen of an adobe house, discussing their hopes for "Sister Deb" Deb Haaland, a Laguna. Haaland replied immediately. Ms. Haaland offers the hope of a secretary of interior who will look at us and see our basic humanity and our urgent human needs. The report identifies next steps that will be taken in a second volume, aided by a new $7 million investment from Congress through fiscal year 2022. "This moment in history belongs to Deb Haaland, and nobody else. This rebuilding and healing will benefit Indian country, our neighborsand our nation. "You know, they showed up in 2020, and they feel like they've waited a long time, and would like to see a Native American in the Interior," the congresswoman said. The two-year term started in 2015, ajob that often found her visiting the state's 33 geographically distant counties to increase Democratic voter rolls alongside vice-chair Juan Sanchez. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. We know these problems weve had with the federal government cant be solved overnight, because theyve been going on for 400 years, said Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians and Quinault Tribal Nation in Washington State. The confirmation of U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland as secretary of interior by the Senate on Feb. 23 will be a tremendous win for . The investigation found that from 1819 to 1969, the federal Indian boarding school system consisted of 408 federal schools across 37 states or then territories, including 21 schools in Alaska and 7 schools in Hawaii. To have someone in that position who has lived our experience, who knows the beauty of our culture, of our family traditions, of our struggles, you cant overstate the impact of that. 12.06.20 Meet Deb Haaland, a potential historic Biden pick for Interior secretary. She has made environmental and indigenous issues signature components of her work. At one particularly dire juncture, she and Somh were sharing a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate when financial concerns led them to move out and find shelter with friends. Ms. Haaland understands the unique pain and fallout from COVID-19 in Indian country, and the absolute urgency in stemming further losses. I know that this process will be painful. Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., is President Joe Biden's choice to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior. And, before the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the young Haaland was working as a production assistant on a . Haaland, 60,wasconfirmed Monday as President Joe Biden's Interior Secretary, making the former New Mexico congresswoman, who took office in 2019,not justthe most powerful Native American politicianin the nation's history, but also the first one to run a department whose centuries of broken promises and benign neglect has contributed to the slow erosionof Indigenous culture. Haaland, 60, was confirmed Monday as President Joe Biden's Interior Secretary, making the former New Mexico congresswoman, who took office in 2019, not just the most powerful Native American. U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240. The announcement directed the Department, under the leadership of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland, to prepare a report detailing available historical records relating to federal Indian boarding schools and to develop the first official list of sites. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. ", Alicia Ortega, founder of Albuquerque-based advocacy group Native Women Lead, said simply,Its our ancestors' dreams come true.". Politicos who campaigned alongside her in later years regaled Insider with stories of the cakes and pastries she'd whip up to fuel them for long days on the trail. Debra Anne Haaland was born in Winslow, Arizona, on December 2, 1960. When asked whether she supported Biden's proposed drilling ban, Haaland said she'd emphasize the need to invest in renewable energy "because I think that industry can create jobs" while at the same time helping to combat climate change. Haaland hasa hardscrabble, mixed-race, military-familybackstorythat includes working as a baker after high school and, later, sellingsalsa from her car to make ends meet. Haaland is the nation's first Native American Cabinet member. This could be it. "Im excited about the fact that she will now be over the very agency that can make those kinds of advances. "Shes in it to see real results.. These losses have also disproportionately hit rural communities abutting Indian country. There are upwardof 600 Native American federally and state-recognized tribes around the United Statesand two dozen of them are made up of Pueblo enclaves scattered across New Mexico. Haaland's sense of service was seeded by her parents. Forrester, himself a former state party official, told Insider that after Haaland took over the party she hired full-time staff, strengthening its infrastructure and allowing it to make gains at the local and federal level over the next few years. On top of all this she somehow finds time to do things like cook dinner and bake cakes and gives the pups a trim. The Interior Department announced Friday that it will consider revising a set of guidelines for operating two major dams on the Colorado River in the first sign of what could lead to federal action to protect the once-massive but shrinking reservoirs behind them. Stewarding Conservation and Powering Our Future, Toggle Dyslexia-friendly black-on-creme color scheme, Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Insular & International Affairs, Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, announced the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, Department of the Interior Releases Investigative Report, Outlines Next Steps in Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, Departmentof the Interior and National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Her nomination will now move to the full Senate. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. It isa message she has been keen to pass along to a new generation of activists. Before climbing the ladder in New Mexico politics, a teenage Haaland worked her way up atZinn's Bakery in Albuquerque. "She's very strong in her concern for ensuring we were considering environmental impactsand she understood that in order for a company to do this they had to be profitable," said Jerry Smith, a fellow member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe who was executive director at the time and identifies as a conservative. Minorities have additionally pushed for her arrangement as the main Local American Inside Secretary. Hermother, Mary Toya, was in the Navy and worked as a federal employee in Indian education, while her father, John David, also known as J.D. Michael Connor, a deputy secretary of the Interior under Obama who is also of Native American ancestry, is reportedly another top contender. As a member of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, Haaland would be the first Indigenous person to manage the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education. She also worked to canvass Native American voters throughout the state. Onecross-state trip started at 4 a.m., and by the time the pair stopped at a filling station in the town of Truth or Consequences, they were famished. She is a former attorney general for the Navajo Nation. South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the House majority whip making history as the highest-ranking African American in Congress, pushed Biden to nominate Haaland, arguing for the historical importance of having a Native American at Interior. Bill Richardson and knew all the key people in his field. They spoke Friday at a school in the Gila Indian River Community just south of Phoenix before a large audience that included Gov. The tribal consultation process is one of the most contentious processes in federal rulemaking as it has to take into consideration a wide range of issues including the impact on the environment, tribal drinking water sources, burial grounds and other sacred sites. [11] She ran for Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico in 2014. University of New Mexico; University of California, Los Angeles. While running for lieutenant governor, Haaland received an email from a college student who was inspired by seeing a Native American woman aiming for high office. Secretary Haaland ran her own small business producing and canning Pueblo Salsa, served as a tribal administrator at San Felipe Pueblo, and became the first woman elected to the Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors, overseeing business operations of the second largest tribal gaming enterprise in New Mexico. Some more Democratic math might work against Haaland. The Cabinet post requires balancing the competing needs of disparate factions, including energy companies looking to extract mineral rights, conservation groups hoping to preserve the national parks, and, significantly, Native activists who will look to Haaland's oversight of the department's Bureau of Indian Affairs to help fix inadequate healthcare, poor education and crumbling infrastructure. Her historic selection to lead the Department of . It is also about stopping the use of Indian country as a national sacrifice area. The Interior Department manages half a billion acres of land across the country and parts of its waters. Coral Davenport, Katie Phillips and Robin Wall Kimmerer joined us for the conversation. Reach her at ethel.nhfcr@gmail.com; on Twitter:@ebbranch,@NCovid19relief. A combination of a duty to serve and a dedication to her people quickly came to define Haaland's life. The student, Paulene Abeyta, asked how she could help. As Haaland became entrenched in the world of tribal economics, she also got politically active. Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. In 2014,Haaland decided to run for New Mexico lieutenant governor alongside gubernatorial hopeful and state Attorney General Gary King. We couldnt drive past a hill or a mountain without her telling me the significance of it to her people," said Sanchez. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The single motherstruggledfinancially,bunking with friends when money ran short. Much like Stacey Abrams' groundbreaking work in Georgia for the Democrats, Haaland is credited with helping members of her party regainNew Mexico's House of Representatives and secretary of state posts in 2016. hide caption. "There's entirely not enough renewable energy projects and too many extractive industry projects on our public lands," she said. She is an American brought into the world in Arizona, moreover, she is a Local American according to her identity. There are unique development challenges in the Indigenous territories that make up more than a quarter of our state. Prior to Haaland's arrival, New Mexico Democrats had had a rough go of it. He has just remembered different minority pioneers for his bureau. Id never heard of her.. "Deb will have to deal with tribes who still need to be convinced that taking the billions of dollars from those companies for the rights to their land rights isnt worth it, said O.J. Haaland was born in Arizona 60 years ago, but her military family relocated multiple times before eventually landing in Albuquerque. Still, that hasn't stopped Native American leaders and activists from publishing a wave ofletters,op-eds, andpetitionsfor Biden to choose Haaland and make history. She has been the leader for the situation in the Biden bureau. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. "But struggle made me fierce.". Several names are floating around for Joe Biden's possible nominee for Interior secretary, but in recent weeks Rep. Deb Haaland's name has risen above the din. The purpose of federal Indian boarding schools was to culturally assimilate American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children by forcibly removing them from their families, communities, languages, religions and cultural beliefs. "I pushed through college, and law school as a single mom, and I'm 30 years sober," she said ina 2018 campaign ad. Debra Anne Haaland, known as Deb, was born December 2, 1960, in Winslow, Arizona. The Arizona lawmaker is perhaps Haaland's most ardent supporter in Congress and appointed her chairwoman of the panel's National Parks, Forests and Public Lands subcommittee shortly after she came to Congress in 2019. A member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, Haaland was raised by both of her parents, her dad a White, Minnesotan Vietnam War veteran and her mother a Laguna, Navy veteran. 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Truth be told, she is one of the initial two Local American ladies chose into the House. The delegate has been in office since January 2019 and is in the running for the Inside Secretary position. You guys, my mom is working sohard every single day, she wrote of her mothers campaignfundraising efforts. COVID-19 threatens our very existence, and Ms. Haaland understands this in a way no other secretary of interior could. That's just who she is. It wont undo the heartbreak and loss we feel. The survival of my people in the face of COVID-19, and our successful rebuilding post-COVID, depends upon it. At the age of 28, Haaland enrolled at the University of New Mexico (UNM) where she earned a Bachelor's degree in English and later earned her J.D. She represents New Mexico, but Ms. Haaland is a daughter of Arizona. Two years later, Democratsreclaimed both chambers of the state legislaturein Santa Fe. Lots of names are floating around for Joe Biden's Interior secretary, but in recent weeks, one has risen above the din. The read more Report Video Issue 0 seconds of 1. That was also the year that Haaland truly arrived on the national scene. Perhaps most significantly, Bidenhas pledged to ban new drilling on public landsin a major reversal fromTrump's policy of expansion. He was handlingIndian affairs for New Mexico Gov. Up to one-third of homes on Navajo and Hopi lack running water, and another third lack electricity even while our homelands provided the source of coal-fired power that built Phoenix and much of the West. "Deb felt for the longest time that Native Americans were being left out of the conversation," said Scott Forrester, Haaland's district director and 2016 campaign manager. ", "That struck me. Native activist Warren, who stayed in touch with Haaland after their meeting at the Laguna Pueblo, remembers asking her why she had decided to run for a state leadership post. While Haaland faces many obstacles, several people Insider spoke to say that the pressure on Biden to select a Cabinet that reflects the diversity of the country could help push the president-elect towards Haaland. For Indigenous peoples and nations, she is essential to our survival. In 2012, she helped Obama win re-election as the state's vote director for Native Americans, and then served as Native caucus chair for the state Democratic party. A voice like mine has never been a Cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of the Interior, she tweeted after her nomination. In June 2021, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, a comprehensive effort to recognize the troubled legacy of federal Indian boarding school policies with the goal of addressing their intergenerational impact and to shed light on the traumas of the past. Subscribe for access to the latest digital and special editions. Ms. Haaland understands why Indian country has been so hard-hit by COVID-19: the longstanding lack of investment in the critical capital infrastructure that serves as the necessary foundation for any thriving economy and society. She has been tipped to turn into the principal Local American Inside Secretary. Shes not a flamethrower.. Somh graduated from the University of New Mexico. Born and raised in Winslow, she is one of us. "Indian country has been left behind for decades.". "History is a very powerful force," Grijalva said. She also shares a unique life experience with the 317,000-plusIndigenous citizens of this state, and a rare intimate knowledge of the inherent sovereign authority of our states 22 Indigenous Nations. Rep. Deb Haaland to be Biden's pick for secretary of the Interior. She also was co-sponsor of the bipartisan Not Invisible Act of 2019, which aimed to reduce violent crime on Native American lands and against Native Americans. Ms. Haalands confirmation will be good for Arizonans. And then, she won, first the primary and later the general election, earning her place in Congress as well as the history books. He also bore witness to her kindness toward strangers, something often observed by the congresswoman's friends. Morning Scoop: Arizonas Roadmap to Clean Energy. Senate confirms Deb Haaland as Biden's Interior secretary in historic vote By Clare Foran and Ted Barrett, CNN Updated 6:51 PM EDT, Mon March 15, 2021 Link Copied! As part of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and in response to recommendations from the report, Secretary Haaland has launched The Road to Healing. This year-long commitment to travel across the country will allow American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian survivors of the federal Indian boarding school system the opportunity to share their stories, help connect communities with trauma-informed support, and facilitate collection of a permanent oral history. Use of this website is subject to its Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy. She opposed many Trump environmental rollbacks on public lands and considers climate change "the challenge of. "But Deb said I wont let that restrict me.. In 2019, the up-and-coming performer/writer/activist became a satellite member of the Tricklock Company. She told me, You can run for office, too, So I did, said Abeyta, who went on to wina school board seat. She became one of the first Native American women ever elected to Congress, along with Sharice Davids, a Democrat from Kansas. Deb is likewise a Catholic by religion while she additionally sticks to some customary Local American convictions.