Deb Haaland Confirmed as Secretary of the Interior
By Margaret Coleman
By Margaret Coleman
President Biden has been pushing for a more diverse group of people in the White House ever since taking office, which includes nominating Deb Haaland for Secretary of the Interior earlier this year. On March 15, she was confirmed, breaking yet another glass ceiling and making her the first Native American to lead a cabinet agency. Let’s explore her background, her plans, and what you can expect to be changed.
Let’s start with her background. Haaland is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and her family has been living in New Mexico for 35 generations. Her father was in the Marines for 30 years, and in Vietnam was awarded the Silver Star medal for saving six lives. Her mother was a Navy veteren, and worked at the government’s Bureau of Indian Affairs for 25 years. Because she was a military child, she attended 13 different public schools throughout her childhood. She eventually graduated from Highland High School, in Albuquerque, NM.
As a single parent, Haaland was forced to volunteer at her child’s preschool in order to afford for them to attend. As she struggled to finish college, she lived paycheck to paycheck, enrolling at the University of New Mexico, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English. She later attended UNM’s law school, which led to her political career. She then had a few different jobs, including making salsa and advocating for environmentally-friendly practices at a game company.
After becoming one of the two first Native American women elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, she focused on issues such as climate change, environmental justice, and family-friendly policies.
According to the New York Times, she plans to basically reverse the Department of the Interior’s course, which in the past has been cruel and unfair towards Native Americans. She would also like to progress the nation towards an environmentally-friendly world, which includes stopping oil drilling, conserving wildlife, and rapidly expanding wind and solar power. Another important job is preventing natural disasters such as droughts and wildfires, which have worsened dramatically in the past century.
Sources:
Image Source: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/03/15/climate/15CLI-HAALAND1/15CLI-HAALAND1-mediumSquareAt3X-v3.jpg
Article Sources:
https://www.doi.gov/secretary-deb-haaland
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/climate/deb-haaland-confirmation-secretary-of-interior.html
Let’s start with her background. Haaland is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and her family has been living in New Mexico for 35 generations. Her father was in the Marines for 30 years, and in Vietnam was awarded the Silver Star medal for saving six lives. Her mother was a Navy veteren, and worked at the government’s Bureau of Indian Affairs for 25 years. Because she was a military child, she attended 13 different public schools throughout her childhood. She eventually graduated from Highland High School, in Albuquerque, NM.
As a single parent, Haaland was forced to volunteer at her child’s preschool in order to afford for them to attend. As she struggled to finish college, she lived paycheck to paycheck, enrolling at the University of New Mexico, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English. She later attended UNM’s law school, which led to her political career. She then had a few different jobs, including making salsa and advocating for environmentally-friendly practices at a game company.
After becoming one of the two first Native American women elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, she focused on issues such as climate change, environmental justice, and family-friendly policies.
According to the New York Times, she plans to basically reverse the Department of the Interior’s course, which in the past has been cruel and unfair towards Native Americans. She would also like to progress the nation towards an environmentally-friendly world, which includes stopping oil drilling, conserving wildlife, and rapidly expanding wind and solar power. Another important job is preventing natural disasters such as droughts and wildfires, which have worsened dramatically in the past century.
Sources:
Image Source: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/03/15/climate/15CLI-HAALAND1/15CLI-HAALAND1-mediumSquareAt3X-v3.jpg
Article Sources:
https://www.doi.gov/secretary-deb-haaland
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/climate/deb-haaland-confirmation-secretary-of-interior.html