New US Secretary of Interior signifies hope for Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has a powerful new ally in its fight to keep its land-in-trust status.
The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico as Secretary of the Interior. She is the first Native American to hold a Cabinet post.
Haaland was confirmed by a 51-40 vote, the narrowest margin yet for a Biden Cabinet nomination. Four Republicans voted yes: Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
The Department of the Interior is home to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Haaland, 59, D-N.M., is an enrolled citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna Native American tribe and serves on the House Natural Resources Committee. She was one of the first two Native American women elected to the United States Congress, the other being Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas.