President Joe Biden’s Cabinet is shaping up to be the most diverse so far, with many of his nominees that are confirmed making history. This week, the Senate confirms yet another history-making nominee as Deb Haaland is now the Interior Secretary.
New Mexico Congresswoman Deb Haaland was confirmed by the Senate today as Biden’s Interior secretary. Haaland also makes history as the first Native American to be a Cabinet Secretary in the country’s history. Haaland was confirmed by the Senate on a 51-40 vote, with four Republican lawmakers joining the Democrats in voting for her. The New Mexico Congresswoman received bipartisan support to lead the Interior Department, which has a staff of 70,000 people and manages almost 500 acres of land.
With Haaland’s confirmation, only a few nominees are left to be confirmed by the upper chamber. The remaining key positions in Biden’s cabinet are Labor Secretary, Health and Human Services, and the US Trade Representative post. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that they had made history twice in a span of two minutes, noting Haaland not only being the first Native American to become a Cabinet Secretary but as the first Native American to lead the Interior Department.
During Haaland’s hearing, Republican lawmakers grilled the Congresswoman on her progressive stances. Montana Senator Steve Daines, for one, grilled Haaland on her stance on the Green New Deal along with the decline in jobs in the fossil fuel industry. Haaland’s response is in line with Biden’s agenda, noting that there are more jobs in the clean energy industry while also highlighting her bipartisan credentials.
Meanwhile, two of Biden’s Cabinet members traveled to Tokyo, Japan, this week to meet with their counterparts. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with their Japanese counterparts Monday to reaffirm the US commitment to the region and to the alliance between the two countries. Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Lloyd, and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi will hold “two plus two” meetings for diplomatic and security discussions.
“The United States is now making a big push to revitalize our ties with our friends and partners — both in one-to-one relationships and in multilateral institutions — and to recommit our shared goals, values, and responsibilities,” said Blinken and Austin in a joint piece for The Washington Post.