Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.Photo: Susan Montoya Bryan/AP/Shutterstock

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland listens to tribal leaders during a round-table discussion at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

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.

Her return home was emotional, according to the Associated Press, which described Haaland as wiping away tears after receiving a standing ovation from the group.

Haaland shared details about PresidentJoe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal and told them, “Help is on the way.”

In all, a reported $20 billion from the proposal would be set aside for Native American governments — helping withCOVID-19relief, boosting health programs and improving both housing and technology on the lands.

The legislation is likely to face near-universal Republican opposition in Congress, given the spending and taxation involved, though Democrats hope to rally their slim majorities to pass it.

Nambe Pueblo Gov. Phillip Perez meets with U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.Susan Montoya Bryan/AP/Shutterstock

Nambe Pueblo Gov. Phillip Perez, left, hands U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland a formal letter from the All Pueblo Council of Governors celebrating Haaland’s appointment to lead the federal agency during a round-table discussion at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, in Albuquerque, N.M

In Haaland’s first sit-down interview earlier this month, the new secretary opened up toCBS Newsabout her Cabinet confirmation and the moment Biden, 78, told her he planned to nominate her for the post.

“What I remember saying to him was, ‘You don’t know what this means to Indian country,’ " Haaland told CBS. “It’s significant. It’s historical. It’s meaningful. And I think we’re all indebted to him.”

Recognizing that “a lot of Native Americans have felt powerless” when it comes to the U.S. government, Haaland vowed to tackle climate change. She will also oversee a close review of the fossil fuel industry.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.Susan Montoya Bryan/AP/Shutterstock

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland addresses a group of tribal leaders during a round-table discussion at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., on . Haaland, the first Native American to hold a Cabinet position, said all federal agencies have a duty to recognize their trust responsibilities to Indigenous communities across the U.S

The interior secretary recently also announced the creation of the new federal Missing or Murdered Unit, which will focus on investigating cases in the country’s Native American community.

CBS News reports that American Indian and Alaska Native women are killed at a 10-times higher rate than other groups.

Haaland described the issue as a “crisis” and told CBS the goal is to “make sure that families can have some answers.”

source: people.com