Deb Haaland
Secretary of the Interior
Deborah Anne Haaland was born in December 1960 in Winslow, Arizona. She is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico and identifies herself as a 35th generation New Mexican. She earned an undergraduate degree in English from the University of New Mexico. A single mother, she worked her way through school, starting a salsa company, and earned a Juris Doctor in Indian law from the University of New Mexico School of Law.
She served as tribal administrator for the San Felipe Pueblo for nearly three years. She made an unsuccessful bid for Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico but would later serve New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives, taking her seat in January 2019 and serving until her nomination by President Joe Biden to be Secretary of the Interior. She was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in on March 16, 2021.
Haaland has one daughter. She is a Catholic.
In the News…
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland recently visited Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. She met with tribes and elected officials to prepare recommendations on whether or not the downsizing of that site and Grand Staircase Escalante, another Utah national monument, by President Trump’s administration should be reversed. Bears Ears was proclaimed a national monument in 2016 by President Obama.
“I know that decisions about public lands are incredibly impactful to the people who live nearby. But not just to us, not to just the folks who are here today, but people for generations to come,” the Interior secretary said. “It’s our obligation to make sure that we protect lands for future generations so they can have the same experiences that the governor and I experienced today.”
Her visit highlighted her unique position as the first Native American to lead a department that has broad authority over tribal nations, as well as energy development and other issues on federal land.
Environmental, tribal, paleontological, and outdoor recreation organizations are suing to restore the monuments’ original boundaries, claiming that presidents don’t have the legal authority to change monuments their predecessors created.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Secretary Haaland today? You can let her know at:
The Honorable Deb Haaland
Secretary of the Interior
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
