The following statement is from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, on President-elect Biden’s nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland to serve as the first Native American Secretary of the Department of the Interior as reported by The Washington Post:
“Defenders of Wildlife applauds the historic nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland and enthusiastically supports her nomination as Interior Secretary. As chair of the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee in Congress, Haaland has provided vigorous oversight for President Trump’s destructive public lands agenda.
“After four years of the Trump administration, the Department of the Interior badly needs new leadership to restore the public’s trust, to rebuild and re-staff the department and to enact policies that protect the nation’s public lands and wildlife. Rep. Haaland can provide that leadership.
“Rep. Haaland has introduced bills including the 30x30 Resolution to Save Nature, the Climate Stewardship Act as well as helped with crafting the climate change platform as a member of the DNC Platform Drafting Committee to address the climate and extinction crises head-on.
“We look forward to working with Rep. Haaland and the Interior Department to protect America’s public lands and wildlife and serve the public’s interest.”
Defenders of Wildlife is celebrating 75 years of protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit defenders.org/newsroom and follow us on Twitter @Defenders.
