Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Applauds Selection of Rep. Deb Haaland to Lead Department of the Interior

Michael Givens
Associate Director of Strategic Communications
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Phone: +1-857-540-0617
Email: mgivens@uusc.org

Cambridge, MA—Today, President-elect Joe Biden selected Rep. Deb Haaland to lead the Department of the Interior.

Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, CEO and president of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, released the following statement:

We are thrilled that Rep. Deb Haaland was selected to lead the Department of the Interior. This is a historic moment: as the first Native American to lead the U.S. Department of Interior, Rep. Haaland would also be the first Native woman to oversee the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The next Secretary of the Interior must prevent further damage to the climate and Indigenous communities by pushing to stop the construction of fossil fuel infrastructure, protecting public lands from drilling/fracking, and safeguarding Native sacred sites and Native cultural and treaty rights from desecration and environmental damage.

The new Interior Secretary must also recognize and address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Native communities. Due to historic dispossession and ongoing injustice, Native tribes have been especially ravaged by the pandemic. This cannot continue—we must ensure these communities receive the resources they need to combat the virus.

The Interior Secretary has the potential to lead positive change for Indigenous tribes. Rep. Haaland’s record in Congress as an advocate for justice suggests she is an excellent choice for the task. We’re hopeful for the opportunities ahead.

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The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization advancing human rights together with an international community of grassroots partners and advocates.

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