President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate U.S. Representative Deb Haaland to be his interior secretary. Aside from that, he has nominated Michael Regan to spearhead the Environmental Protection Agency.
Sources familiar with the decisions told NBC News that Biden intends to nominate both Haaland and Regan before taking office next month. If confirmed, 60-year-old Haaland would become the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary. Progressives are pleased with the pick, which represents what Biden describes as his “barrier-breaking” Cabinet.
If confirmed by the Senate, Regan, 44, would be the first Black man to head the EPA. Regan would be the second Black EPA chief in history, only after Lisa Jackson, who served in the position during former President Barack Obama's first term in office.
Aside from progressive Democrats, even native rights groups have cheered the nomination of the New Mexico lawmaker, who said moving the Biden-Harris climate agenda forward would be an honor. In a statement quoted in The New York Times, she would be helping amend rundown government to government relationships with Tribes that have been ruined by the Trump administration while serving as the first Native American cabinet secretary in America's history.
A member of the Laguna Pueblo people, Haaland made history back in 2018 after becoming one of the first two Native American women to be elected to Congress. Speaker of the House of Representatives Democrat Nancy Pelosi deems Haaland as one of Congress' most respected members.
Fellow progressive Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lauded her nomination, describing it as historic on several levels. She brings a commitment to the climate and justice to the position, Ocasio-Cortez said, noting that the historic weight of having a Native woman in charge of federal lands is massive, BBC reported.
Haaland represented New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, which encompasses Albuquerque and a considerable number of its suburbs since last year. She is also chair of the Forests and Public Lands and the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. She and Representative Sharice Davids of Kansas are the first Native American women to be elected to Congress.
As Secretary of the Interior, Haaland will be overseeing an agency responsible for managing and conserving much of America's natural resources such as tribal lands, national parks, and federal lands. She will also play a vital role in implementing the Biden administration's environmental policies, including a commitment to move the federal government away from fossil fuels.
Haaland, who boasts two years of experience on the House Natural Resources Committee, will oversee 500 million acres of federal lands, along with 62 national parks, and team up with 1.9 million Americans from 574 federally recognized tribes.