Haaland sworn in as first Native American U.S. Cabinet secretary
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The U.S. Senate confirmed the New Mexico Democrat 51-40 on Monday after she clinched support from Republicans including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Maine Senator Susan Collins.
Haaland became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress in 2018. Her ascension to the cabinet followed weeks of campaigning by Native American tribes and environmental groups in support of her historic appointment.
She faced resistance from Republican lawmakers who grilled her at a two-day hearing last month about her involvement in pipeline protests, her support of the Green New Deal climate resolution, and the Biden administration's pause on new federal drilling leases.
Haaland will oversee polices guiding use of 500 million acres of federal and tribal land, a fifth of the nation's surface. A member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, Haaland will also oversee the U.S. government's relationship with some 574 federally recognized tribal nations.
