Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released the following statement after the first day of Interior Secretary-Designate Deb Haaland’s nomination hearing:
“Deb Haaland’s experience and commitment to restoring the public trust and the mission of this important agency is a breath of fresh air after the last four years of her predecessors’ shameful neglect and outright mission abandonment. As the first-ever Native American to serve as Secretary, she will bring a new and necessary voice to the agency that is crucial to Oregon and all of America.
“Congresswoman Haaland understands the key role the Department should play in putting people back to work on our public lands – especially in hard hit rural America – with her support for a civilian conservation corps. Today, she countlessly reaffirmed that building coalitions and bringing people together to tackle the thorny issues this agency is often tasked with addressing is a top priority. And her strong bipartisan track record during her time in Congress is proof of that commitment.
“America needs Deb Haaland as its next Secretary of the Interior. I look forward to her confirmation and working with her to restore integrity in this important Department, revitalizing our public lands, bringing urgently needed resources to build long-neglected tribal water infrastructure, and creating jobs and opportunities for all Americans.”
Click here to watch Wyden’s exchange with Haaland on rural jobs and coalition building.
A web version of this release is here.