Interior secretary from New Mexico will be responsible for US’s land, seas and national resources

Deb Haaland has been confirmed as the secretary of the interior, making her the first Indigenous cabinet secretary in US history.

The 60-year-old from New Mexico will be responsible for the country’s land, seas and natural resources, as well as overseeing tribal affairs.

The US Senate confirmed the Democrat on Monday by a vote of 51-40, after she secured the support of Republican senators including Lindsey Graham, Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan and Susan Collins.

In a statement after the vote, Haaland said she was “ready to serve”.

Thank you to the U.S. Senate for your confirmation vote today. As Secretary of @Interior, I look forward to collaborating with all of you. I am ready to serve. #BeFierce

— Deb Haaland (@DebHaalandNM) March 15, 2021

Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo, one of 574 sovereign tribal nations located across 35 states. She is the most senior Indigenous American in the US government since the Republican Charles Curtis, a member of the Kaw nation situated in what is now Kansas, who served as vice-president to Herbert Hoover between 1929 and 1933.