Utahns react to Bidenâs history-making choice of Interior secretary New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland would be the first Native American to serve in the role would have a big impact on the West. FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2020, file photo, Democratic Congresswoman Deb Haaland, N.M.-1st Dist., does a PSA for her Twitter account in downtown Albuquerque, N.M. Internet access, health care and basic necessities like running water and electricity within Indigenous communities have long been at the center of congressional debates. But until recently, Congress didn't have many Indigenous members who were pushing for solutions and funding for those issues. Hope is growing after the Native delegation in the U.S. House expanded by two on Election Day joining four others that were reelected. (Jim Thompson/The Albuquerque Journal via AP, File)