Azure’s ‘Ecstatic’ About Haaland’s Confirmation
Fort Peck Tribal chairman Floyd Azure described his feeling as “ecstatic” that Deb Haaland was confirmed to lead the U.S. Interior Department on Monday, March 15.
Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo, is the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history.
“She grew up on a reservation and has dealt with racism and understands our issues,” Azure said.
In addition, there are now more Native Americans in Congress than ever before.
“It makes all Indian Country proud,” Azure said of the representation.
The Senate voted by a 51-40 margin to confirm Haaland on Monday. Haaland became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress in 2018.
Azure said he was greatly disappointed that U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., was one of the senators who opposed Haaland’s confirmation, considering the amount of reservations in Montana.
“He wasn’t showing his representation for the state of Montana,” Azure said.
On his website, Daines released the following statement about his vote, “Rep. Haaland has a hostile record toward made in America energy, natural resource development, and wildlife and land management. She has enthusiastically called for a ban on all new pipelines and is a leading cosponsor of the Green New Deal. I have serious concerns about how Rep. Haaland will use this position in ways that negatively impact the Montana way of life. In Montana, we have a rich history of balanced wildlife and land management that allows us to enjoy recreation and promote energy development while still prioritizing conservation. Rep. Haaland has pledged to learn from states like Montana that are able to balance these priorities, and I will hold her to this commitment and look for opportunities where we can pragmatically work together on behalf of Montana.”
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., voted in favor of the confirmation. “The folks who work in the extractive resource industries are essential to Montana’s economy, and I will continue to defend these jobs from burdensome regulations,” Tester said. “But while we don’t agree on everything, Secretary Haaland has shown herself to be well qualified to lead the Interior Department, and I look forward to working with her to safeguard our public lands and bolster our economy.”
