WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Senator Susan Collins released a statement saying she will vote to confirm U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico to be secretary of the Department of Interior.
Collins said that after examining Haaland’s qualifications, reviewing her hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and meeting with her, she will offer her support.
Haaland, 60, would be the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency. The Laguna Pueblo member and two-term congresswoman often draws on her experience as a single mother and the teachings of her ancestors as a reminder that action the U.S. takes on climate change, the environment, and sacred sites will affect generations to come.
Full statement from Sen. Collins:
“After examining Representative Deb Haaland’s qualifications, reviewing her hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and meeting with her personally, I will vote to confirm her to be the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. While we certainly have different views on some issues, her role in helping to shepherd the Great American Outdoors Act through the House will be beneficial to the Department’s implementation of this landmark conservation law, which I cosponsored. I also appreciate Representative Haaland’s willingness to support issues important to the State of Maine, such as Acadia National Park, as well as her deep knowledge of tribal issues, which has earned her the support of tribes across the country, including those in Maine.
"Representative Haaland promised to be bipartisan in her new role at the Department of the Interior, and I look forward to working with her.”
