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Of: TT
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Photo: Jim Thompson / AP / TT
House Democrat Deb Haaland, whom US President-elect Joe Biden wants to see as Home Secretary.
“A voice like mine has never been a minister or directed the Ministry of the Interior.”
With those words, Deb Haaland, a member of the House of Representatives and a native of the United States, says that he is ready for his new job.
Democrat Joe Biden, who will be sworn in as the next president of the United States on January 20, has asked Haaland to become interior minister.
If approved by the Senate, it will historically be the first person from the country’s indigenous population to receive a ministerial position. The fact that the Ministry of the Interior is also responsible for the control of federal lands and the maintenance of the country’s agreements with indigenous peoples, makes it even more important.
“Growing up in my mother’s Pueblo house made me brave. I will be brave for all of us, our planet and our protected lands,” he wrote on Twitter.
Hard years
Haaland has its roots in Laguna Pueblo, an indigenous town that lives primarily in central and western New Mexico. Her father was in the army and as a child she moved a lot. But it was in New Mexico that he earned a BA in English and then a JD.
In interviews, Haaland has been open about the difficult years surrounding her studies. She was a single mother and tried to start a business, abused alcohol, and sometimes had to live on food stamps.
Later, she became politically active. In 2012, Haaland helped President Barack Obama, who was campaigning for re-election, reach out to indigenous peoples in his home state. In 2015, she became chair of the state’s Democratic Party and in 2019 made history as one of the first two indigenous women to be elected to the United States House of Representatives.
Environmental fighter
As a congresswoman, Deb Haaland has become known as an environmental advocate and a politician who advocates for harsh climate action, according to the Earthjustice organization.
Biden’s transition team describes her as a “cross-border official” who has fought for families throughout her career and who is “ready to protect the environment from day one and defend a clean energy future.”
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