© 2024 Blue Ridge Public Radio
Blue Ridge Mountains banner background
Your source for information and inspiration in Western North Carolina.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

First Native American Cabinet Secretary, Eastern Band Principal Chief Congratulates Haaland

Matt Bush
Principal Chief Richard Sneed issued his congratulations to the first Native American Cabinet Secretary, Deb Haaland. She is now the 54th Secretary of Department of the Interior.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland served her first full day in the cabinet today.

She is the first Native American cabinet secretary in United States history. Haaland will is the 54th Secretary of the Department of the Interior. The department of the Interior manages public lands, endangered species and natural resources. It also directs government-to-government relations between the U.S. and Native American tribes.

Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Richard Sneed officially congratulated Haaland yesterday.

“I do not doubt that our ancestors are looking down upon us with pride at how far we've come since the days of their sacrifices. Not only will Secretary Haaland be the first Native American cabinet secretary, but she will also be an effective and successful administrator of the Department of the Interior,” said Sneed.  “We look forward to working with Secretary Haaland on matters that affect the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and all Native Americans."

Haaland said during her confirmation hearing that all Americans have a stake in the future of the United States, no matter their political party, zip code, ancestral heritage or income level.

“We all must take the formidable challenges that lie ahead seriously, and we will take them head-on, together, said Haaland in a statement.

“I am proud and humbled to lead the dedicated team at Interior as we seek to leave a livable planet for future generations. Together, we will work to advance President Biden’s vision to honor our nation-to-nation relationship with Tribes, address the climate and nature crises, advance environmental justice, and build a clean energy future that creates good-paying jobs and powers our nation,” she continued.

A ceremonial swearing-in of Haaland with Vice President Kamala Harris will be announced later this week.

Lilly Knoepp is Senior Regional Reporter for Blue Ridge Public Radio. She has served as BPR’s first fulltime reporter covering Western North Carolina since 2018. She is from Franklin, NC. She returns to WNC after serving as the assistant editor of Women@Forbes and digital producer of the Forbes podcast network. She holds a master’s degree in international journalism from the City University of New York and earned a double major from UNC-Chapel Hill in religious studies and political science.
Related Content