Biden nominee Deb Haaland confirmed as secretary of the interior

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The Senate voted Monday to confirm Deb Haaland as secretary of the interior, filling a position that will play a critical role in implementing President Biden’s planned shift toward green energy.

Lawmakers confirmed Haaland by a 51-40 vote. Haaland is the first Native American woman to lead the Department of the Interior, which oversees federal and tribal lands and the country’s natural resources.

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Sens. Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley and Mitt Romney were among the Republican lawmakers who voted against Haaland's confirmation. 

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Haaland, 60, had served in Congress as the U.S. representative from New Mexico’s 1st congressional district since 2019. Prior to that role, Haaland was chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017. She ran an unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor of New Mexico in 2014.

Haaland is a member of Laguna Pueblo, a federally recognized tribe. She is a 35th-generation resident of New Mexico, according to her House bio.

Biden’s decision to nominate Haaland drew widespread criticism from Republicans, who cited her outspoken progressive views. Haaland co-sponsored the Green New Deal and has called for a ban on fracking.

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Biden campaigned on a pledge to end new permits for fracking on federal lands but has denied that he plans to ban the practice entirely. The president’s energy plan calls for the U.S. to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and gradually phase out the use of fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy.

In 2019, Haaland told the Guardian that she was "wholeheartedly against fracking and drilling on public lands."

GOP lawmakers, as well as some Democrats in states such as New Mexico with close ties to the energy sector, have raised questions about the Biden administration’s energy policies. Detractors argue his stance on fracking permits and decision to cancel the Keystone XL oil pipeline will kill thousands of jobs and end US energy independence.

During her confirmation hearing in February, Haaland indicated that she supported Biden's decision to cancel the Keystone pipeline.

"If I say that I support President Biden’s agenda, I assume that you could take my answer as a yes," Haaland said in response to repeated questions.