Press Releases

Washington, DC – Rep. Karen Bass, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, released the following statement upon reports of the nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland (NM-01) as Secretary of the Department of Interior.

“We applaud the nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, to lead the very agency responsible for the dislocation and inhumane treatment of indigenous people in America. The nomination of the first Native American to lead a cabinet-level agency is a clear example of the Biden-Harris transition team delivering on the promise to build an administration as diverse as this country, including the people who originally inhabited the land we all call home. 

“In her time in Congress, Rep. Haaland has played a critical role on the House Committee on Natural Resources, which oversees the Department of Interior. Rep. Haaland has been a vocal opponent of the Trump Administration’s efforts to rubber-stamp pipeline projects, public land sales, and fracking and drilling licenses. As a 35th generation New Mexican, she has been a strong advocate for tribal sovereignty, land conservation, and endangered species protections. 

“Rep. Haaland has also been a welcomed voice in the fight for social justice. In just two years, Rep. Haaland has joined us in countless fights, from demanding resources and accountability for an accurate census count, to championing targeted testing, tracing, treatment, and vaccine distribution in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, to standing in solidarity in the movement against the police brutality that has plagued Black communities since the days of Black codes and Jim Crow. Rep. Haaland has been a true sister in the struggle for equality and equity and she will bring that same passion and compassion to the Department of Interior. 

“We look forward to the Senate’s swift confirmation of this historic nomination and the continued work with Secretary-Designate Deb Haaland in the Biden-Harris Administration.”