Debra Haaland (born 2 December 1960) was a member of the US House of Representatives (D-NM 1) from 3 January 2019 to 16 March 2021 (succeeding Michelle Lujan Grisham and preceding Melanie Stansbury) and United States Secretary of the Interior from 16 March 2021 (succeeding David Bernhardt).
Biography[]
Debra Haaland was born in Winslow, Arizona in 1960 to a father of Norwegian descent and a Pueblo mother. She worked as a tribal administrator and as a Democratic activist before running for the US House of Representatives in 2018, running for Michelle Lujan Grisham's old seat (which was vacated after Lujan Grisham became Governor). She became the first Native American woman in the US Congress with her election. On 17 December 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Haaland to serve as his Secretary of the Interior, and she was confirmed on 16 March 2021, making her the first Native American cabinet secretary in American history.
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