#DEBFORINTERIOR FACTS

Who is Representative Deb Haaland

As the Secretary of Interior, Deb Haaland is the first Indigenous cabinet Secretary and the second-highest-ranking enrolled Native American to ever serve in the federal government. while she may be the first, she will certainly not be the last.
Haaland is a former chairwoman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico
Along with Sharice Davids, she is one of the first two Native American women elected to the U.S. Congress
Secretary Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people and a 35th-generation New Mexican.
Haaland has spent her entire career fighting to protect public lands, waters, monuments and cultural sites, and is a champion for the creation of good-paying clean energy and outdoor recreation jobs.
In Congress, Secretary Haaland is known for her steadfast commitment to bipartisanship, and has led, co-sponsored and whipped influential and bipartisan votes for more bills than any other freshman.
Deb Haaland’s confirmation marks the dawn of a new day at the Department of Interior and across the entire federal government, as her expertise and lived experience will help chart a course that brings long-overdue reclamations for the wounds the federal government has inflicted on Tribal communities, and ensures that ALL communities will have a seat at every table.
Secretary Haaland’s historic confirmation is one that should be celebrated loudly and proudly. Her nomination captured the eyes of Tribal communities across the nation, and her confirmation today has shown a generation of Native American children that anything is possible.

Haaland’s legislation has had more Senate companions than any other representative’s in the 116th Congress.

Haaland passed four Progressive bills in the 116th congress:

Progress for Indian Tribes Act – Bill aims to uphold the government-to-government relationship and fulfill the trust responsibility that the federal government has with Tribal Nations.
Native American Business Incubators Program Act – This bill establishes a grant program to provide business incubation and other business services to Native American entrepreneurs and businesses. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish a grant program in the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development for establishing and operating business incubators that serve Native American communities.

Not Invisible Act – This bill increases the coordination of efforts to reduce violent crime within Indian lands and against Indians.
Department of Veterans Affairs Tribal Advisory Committee Act – This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs to advise the VA on matters relating to Native American tribes, tribal organizations, and Native American veterans.

In an era of partisan gridlock, she has seen three of her acts signed into law: one strengthening tribal self-government, another incubating Native American small business and a third coordinating cross-agency actions to address the grisly phenomenon of Indigenous women turning up missing and murdered.

What is the Department of Interior?

The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is a federal executive department of the U.S. government. It is responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, territorial affairs, and insular areas of the United States, as well as programs related to historic preservation
The department is administered by the United States Secretary of the Interior, who is a member of the Cabinet of the president.
Within the Interior Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs handles some federal relations with Native Americans including, Bureau of Indian Education, Indian Gaming , Indian Energy and Economic Development , Office of Self-Governance and many more operating units related to Native and Indigenous communities and peoples.