Deb Haaland will head the Department of the Interior, the first time a Native American has held the post. Her role will be central to climate policy and indigenous rights.
Deb Haaland, New Mexico's representative in the United States Congress, has been chosen by president-elect Joe Biden to lead the United States Department of the Interior. If confirmed by the Senate, it would be a historic decision: Haaland will be the first Native American to hold this post, and she will be head of an agency that plays a central role in environmental matters and the rights of indigenous communities across the country.
Her department is responsible for over 2 million square kilometres of public land, including national parks, oil and gas drilling sites, and habitats for endangered species.
Haaland will therefore play a central role in implementing the climate agenda promised by Biden. She will be responsible for the federal protections of those territories that the Trump administration had opened up to the oil, mining, construction and timber industries.
Furthermore, Haaland – a citizen of Laguna Pueblo, one of the 574 indigenous tribes federally recognised by the government – will lead the department responsible for the wellbeing of 1.9 million indigenous people across the country.
In a statement, Haaland said: "It would be an honour for me to advance the Biden-Harris climate agenda, help heal the government's relationship with indigenous communities that had been damaged by the Trump administration, and be the first Native American cabinet secretary in this country's history."
