The U.S. Senate confirmed Haaland for Secretary of the Interior in a 51-40 vote.
Sen. Steve Daines voted to block her confirmation, citing her track record and ideology, and Sen. Jon Tester voted to confirm her, citing her commitments to public lands, tribal nations and job creation.
A Democratic representative from New Mexico, Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo Tribe. She is a 35th generation New Mexican.
In her two-day confirmation hearing, Haaland spoke of her father, who served in the Marine Corps, her mother, who served in the Navy and worked for the Bureau of Indian Education, and generations of ancestors who paved her path.
Yo-Yo Ma, flowing green, Brooklyn Bridge: News from around our 50 states From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
Alabama
Montgomery: The state is expanding eligibility later this month for COVID-19 vaccinations to more front-line workers, residents with certain chronic health conditions, and people 55 and older, officials announced Friday. “We have been concerned that many people at high risk and others engaged in close-contact work have not been eligible to receive the vaccine yet, but with the additional vaccine supply we are better able to meet the needs of Alabama residents,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement. The expansion, starting March 22, will add more than 2 million people to the groups who can receive a COVID-19 vaccination in Alabama, roughly doubling the number of people now eligible. But demand continues to exceed supply and will increase the competition to find shots. State Health Officer Scott Harris said eligibility was expanded because of the
Evening briefs in Indian Country
News from Friday, March 12, 2021
Author:
Mar 12, 2021
Billy Frank Jr. looks at a picture of himself fishing on the Nisqually River taken in the 1960s.
News from Friday, March 12, 2021
Treaty rights activist Billy Frank Jr. statue update
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) A statue honoring the late Billy Frank Jr., a Nisqually tribal citizen who championed treaty rights and protecting the environment, is one step closer to being on display at the U.S. Capitol.
The Olympian reports the state House of Representatives approved a bill this week that would start a process to replace Washington’s Marcus Whitman statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection with a statue of Frank. After a bipartisan 92-5 vote, the proposal will now head to the Senate.
Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, presented an amendment to restore funding to the tribal relations manager and American Indian health director positions.
Funding restored for 2 tribal health jobs in Department of Public Health and Human Services msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.