Deb Haaland will take the oath of office to become the 54th Secretary of the Department of the Interior later today (March 16th, 2021) in a small ceremony with family. The oath of office will be administered by Chief of Staff Jennifer Van der Heide. Her first full day as Interior Secretary will be tomorrow. A ceremonial swearing-in with Vice President Kamala Harris will be announced later this week.
Haaland issued the following statement on this historic moment:
“At my confirmation hearing, I said that we all have a stake in the future of our country. No matter your political party or Zip code, your ancestral heritage or income level, we all must take the formidable challenges that lie ahead seriously, and we will take them head-on, together.
“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.
“The change we need will take hard work and perseverance, but I know that together there is nothing we cannot accomplish.”
US Department of Interior
The Department of the Interior (DOI) conserves and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people, provides scientific and other information about natural resources and natural hazards to address societal challenges and create opportunities for the American people, and honors the Nation’s trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities to help them prosper.
