WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after President-Elect Joe Biden announced his selection of U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) as his nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior:
“I congratulate my friend Deb Haaland on this momentous and well-earned nomination to serve as the next Secretary of the Interior. President-Elect Biden has chosen an outstanding leader in Congresswoman Haaland, and I am confident that she will be both a historic Interior Secretary and an excellent one. She will undo the damage of the Trump administration, restore the department’s workforce and expertise, uphold our obligations to Native communities, and take the bold action needed to tackle the accelerating climate and nature crises.
“Congresswoman Haaland is fully qualified to lead the Department of the Interior — through her service in the Congress, to the state of New Mexico, and to Indian Country, and through her lived experience. I know it will be significant and meaningful for Native Americans, especially Native women, to see Secretary Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, leading the department that is tasked with meeting many of our responsibilities to Tribes and managing inherently Indigenous land. This is a watershed moment for Native communities, and for our nation.
“In addition to calling Deb a good friend, I’m proud to have worked closely with Congresswoman Haaland — as co-leaders of the 30x30 Resolution to Save Nature in Congress and the ANTIQUITIES Act — and I look forward to continuing our shared work to protect 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030 and safeguard America’s national treasures. Together, we can take on the climate and nature crises, jumpstart our economy through renewable energy and land restoration, and pursue greater environmental justice. I will do everything I can to support Deb Haaland and the Biden-Harris administration in the years to come to ensure that the Department of Interior delivers progress for Tribes, the West, and the entire nation.”
