The Democratic congresswoman of New Mexico is a historic choice and would be the first Native American cabinet secretary if confirmed by the Senate. But Democrats and White House officials told CNN they expect the trial to get tense, and some Republicans have already spoken out against what they call her “extreme” and “radical” views on energy and environmental issues.
An important question for the future of her nomination is whether Joe Manchin, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and one of the most conservative Senate Democrats, will support it. Manchin will not appear before the trial – he has not yet said whether he will vote to confirm Haaland.
Manchin said on Monday: “We are very open to hearing her and hopefully she will hear well.”
Haaland is also expected to thank Manchin directly for convening the trial and “share with me the issues and needs of the people he represents in West Virginia.”
An official with the confirmation process told CNN that the Democrats are leading the case for Haaland which focuses on her dual legislative record and extensive work with public lands and wildlife. More importantly, expect her supporters to argue that Haaland believes that every job is important – and that oil, gas and coal will remain an important part of the US economy as a transition to a future for clean energy.
Republicans have repeatedly said the Biden government is going to kill jobs through its clean energy agenda, which Haaland supports. Democrats plan to counter Haaland’s home state of New Mexico, which depends on oil and gas revenues to fund its schools and help its economy.
Manchin was asked about a ban on fracturing in public lands and whether it could affect the nomination of Haaland – and said that a ban on fracturing “would harm her or anyone else.”
Republicans have expressed concern about its stance on new oil and gas drilling contracts on federal land and its support for the Green New Deal, a progressive policy proposal advocated by New York’s progressive Democratic Republic of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Word. Haaland has said in the past that she is “wholeheartedly” opposed to hydrofracking and drilling on public lands and is a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal resolution.
John Cornyn, senator of the GOP in Texas, recently tweeted: “Nominee for Home Secretary has joined protests and opposed fracking,” in a possible preview of how Republicans could attack the nomination.
A group of Republicans from the House asked Biden to withdraw the nomination in a letter last month, citing her position on the Green New Deal and oil and gas leasing across federal lands.
“The appointment of Representative Haaland is a direct threat to working men and women and a rejection of responsible development of America’s natural resource,” the letter warned.
House Republicans will not vote in the Senate confirmation process, but the arguments against the nomination will likely be voiced by members of their party in the upper chamber.
Supporters and opponents of the nomination were addressing their case before the trial.
The Global Indigenous Council and the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council have launched a campaign in support of Haaland in states representing important senate votes and where senators have criticized the nomination.
Billboards with Haaland went up in Montana, where Republican Senator Steve Daines said he was “concerned” about the nomination, and would also appear in West Virginia, Wyoming, Utah and South Dakota.
Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, said in a statement before the confirmation hearing “Rep. Deb Haaland has shown hostility towards the development of oil and natural gas sustaining the state and district she represents.”
The confirmation hearing comes after several other well-known Biden nominees were scrutinized.
If confirmed, Haaland will be part of Biden’s plan to tackle the climate crisis and reduce carbon emissions. Biden has proposed an ambitious climate agenda that aims to end the carbon emissions of power plants by 2035 and proposes broader public investment in green infrastructure, including $ 2 billion for clean energy projects.
The U.S. Department of the Interior preserves and manages the country’s natural resources and cultural heritage, and oversees federal government relations with Native American tribes.
The nomination was a major victory for an alliance of progressive and indigenous leaders who relentlessly strived to elevate one of their own to a powerful federal seat overseeing natural resources, public lands and Indian affairs.
Haaland’s hard advocacy for policy on climate justice and indigenous rights made her a proponent of the new left.
Before she ran for Congress in 2018, Haaland, a single mom, joined the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline project, which was mapped to pass 1,200 miles from North Dakota to Illinois. The pipeline was led under a reservoir near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, which led to legal challenges and eventually mass demonstrations and a camp that brought together indigenous and environmental activists from across the country.
“A voice like mine has never been a cabinet secretary or at the head of the home department,” Haaland tweeted in December. “Growing up in my mother’s Pueblo household made me fierce. I will be angry with all of us, our planet and all our protected country. I am honored and ready to serve.”
CNN’s Kate Sullivan, Liz Stark, Greg Krieg and Jasmine Wright contributed to this report.