[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1565-S1566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CONFIRMATION OF DEBRA ANNE HAALAND

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, we urgently need a qualified and 
effective leader ready to protect our natural resources, conserve 
public lands, and collaborate with our Tribal nations. President 
Biden's nominee to lead the Department of the Interior is just the 
person for the job, Congresswoman Debra Haaland. She will quickly 
restore confidence in the Department and reaffirm its mission to manage 
and conserve our public land and do its part to confront climate 
change.
  Congresswoman Haaland would be the first Native American Cabinet 
Secretary, and she is no stranger to breaking barriers. Haaland was one 
of the first two Native women elected to Congress in 2018. Prior to her 
congressional tenure, Haaland was the first Chairwoman elected to the 
Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors and the first Native 
woman elected to lead a State party, as chairwoman of the New Mexico 
Democratic Party. She brought her progressive values of sustainability 
and environmental protection to each of her positions, and I believe 
she will do the same for the Department of the Interior.
  During her tenure as vice chair of the House Committee on Natural 
Resources, Haaland led legislative efforts, like the ANTIQUITIES Act 
and the 30x30 Resolution, to protect and conserve our national 
monuments, public lands, and oceans. Additionally, the Congresswoman 
has prioritized environmental justice and Tribal inclusion throughout 
her career. She introduced

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the Environmental Justice in Recreational Permitting Act to increase 
access to public lands for all communities and fight environmental 
injustice. Given the Department's history of failing to engage with 
indigenous communities while enacting harmful public lands policies, 
Haaland will bring a new era of equity and inclusion to the Department 
of the Interior.
  Last Congress, I worked to enact the Chesapeake WILD Act, which 
authorizes up to $15 million annually for a new grant program managed 
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to do fish and wildlife habitat 
restoration in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. I look forward to working 
with Haaland to see that this program is fully funded and well 
implemented.
  The Department of the Interior manages over 500 million acres of 
public land, and Haaland's record shows she is prepared to take on this 
role. For these reasons, I support Debra Haaland's nomination for 
Secretary of the Interior.

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