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- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — "I wouldn’t be here without the love and support of my child Somah, partner Skip, my mom Mary Toya, my extended family, and generations of ancestors who sacrificed so much, so I could be here today. I acknowledge that we are on the ancestral homelands of the Nakochtank, Anacostan, and Piscataway people."
This is one of the first things Democratic Rep. Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) is expected to say when she begins her confirmation hearing Tuesday.
Haaland, who is President Joe Biden's nominee for Interior secretary, will testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The New Mexico congresswoman would be the first Native American to hold a presidential Cabinet post in U.S. history if confirmed by the Senate. CLICK HERE to watch the hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. - EST.
A vote on Haaland's nomination by the committee likely won't come Tuesday, but rather at a separate committee meeting in the coming days.
Read Haaland's full prepared remarks, provided by the Department of the Interior, below:
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