Native Leaders Tell Tearful New Interior Secretary Deb Haaland She's a 'Formidable Guardian'
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.Photo: Susan Montoya Bryan/AP/Shutterstock Native American leaders welcomed newly confirmed Interior SecretaryDeb Haalandback home to New Mexico on Tuesday,hailing her as a “formidable guardian"for the nation’s lands and the interests of its indigenous peoples. Haaland, 60, became the first Native American to hold a Cabinet position earlier this year. She is a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe. The new interior secretary will be tasked with overseeing American Indian affairs, including how the country’s treaties with native people are fulfilled and how public lands are managed....