‘Together There is Nothing We Cannot Accomplish;’ Deb Haaland Takes Oath of Office as Interior Secretary
The US Department of the Interior has announced that Deb Haaland will, in fact, take the oath of office to become the 54th Secretary of the Department of the Interior Tuesday afternoon, in a small ceremony with family.
The release notes that the oath of office will be administered by Chief of Staff Jennifer Van der Heide.
Secretary Haaland will begin her first full day is the Interior Secretary on Wednesday.
A ceremonial swearing-In with Vice President Kamala Harris will be announced later this week.
“At my confirmation hearing, I said that we all have a stake in the future of our country,” Secretary Haaland said in a released statement. “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.”
Haaland stated that she is “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.”
Amid vocal resistance from many Republican Senators, including Wyoming Senators Barrasso and Lummis, Haaland said that “The change we need will take hard work and perseverance, but I know that together there is nothing we cannot accomplish.”