Manuel Lujan: “I rise today in anticipation of a historic vote that the Senate will take in a few moments to confirm Debra Anne Haaland…”

“I rise today in anticipation of a historic vote that the Senate will take in a few moments to confirm Debra Anne Haaland as Secretary of the Interior. I am incredibly humbled to be able to preside over this body's confirmation, in just a few minutes, of my good friend and fellow New Mexican. This marks the first time that a Native American will take her seat in the President's Cabinet, making her the second highest ranking Native American to ever serve in the Federal Government. As a Pueblo woman and 35th-generation New Mexican, Deb Haaland has a long overdue perspective to contribute to the Department of the Interior's mission of protecting our natural resources and public lands, and honoring America's trust responsibilities to Tribal nations. She is uniquely equipped to begin to repair the relationship between the Interior and the domestic nations it serves--to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, these indigenous nations, these sovereign nations, these important departments, the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Education. Speaking to Pueblo and Tribal members in New Mexico, I know the significance of her confirmation, how it transcends policy. For young people in our State, she is the embodiment of the old adage that if you see it, you can be it. Knowing my friend Deb, although she will be the first, she is committed to not being the last.…”