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Recap: #DebForInterior confirmation hearing (Day 2)
Friday, February 26, 2021
Indianz.Com

Rep. Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico) endured a second day of questions as her historic confirmation hearing to be Secretary of the Interior finally came to a close.

As with the first day, most of the questions on Wednesday focused on energy development and the fossil fuels industry. And in an unusual development, Republicans dominated the hearing despite not being in control of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in the 117th Congress.

In fact, all 10 Republican members asked questions, with some even getting a third round of inquiries with Haaland, compared to just five Democrats.

Still, some members of the legislative panel were able to bring up issues affecting tribal nations and Alaska Native, one of the major areas at the Department of the Interior, the federal agency with the most trust and treaty responsibilities in Indian Country.

“This is all of our country. This is our mother,” Haaland, who is a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, an Indian nation based in New Mexico, told Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

“It’s difficult to not feel obligated to protect this land,” Haaland added. “I feel like every Indigenous person in this country understands this.”

On the Democratic side of the committee, Haaland interacted with, in order:

• Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), New member
• Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), Chairman
• Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington)
• Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)
• Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon)

On the Republican side, Haaland responded to questions from, in order:

• Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho)
• Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Ranking Member
• Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)
• Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana)
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
• Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota)
• Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma)
• Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana)
• Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi)
• Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), New member

Toward the conclusion of the hearing, Haaland agreed to respond to written questions from members. The committee intends to hold an initial vote on her nomination during a business meeting next Tuesday.

In the following tweet recap, Sen. Roger Marshall’s first and last name were accidentally transposed.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Notices
Hearing to Consider the Nomination of the Honorable Debra Haaland to be the Secretary of the Interior (Continued) (February 24, 2021)
Hearing to Consider Nomination of the Honorable Debra Haaland to be the Secretary of the Interior (February 23, 2021)

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