March 15, 2021

Duckworth Votes to Confirm Haaland as Interior Secretary

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after voting to confirm Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior. Haaland was confirmed by a 51-40 vote to serve as Interior Secretary under President Biden.

“Secretary Haaland is a barrier-breaking leader who is qualified to take on this role to protect our public lands and will help bring a much-needed perspective to the U.S. Department of the Interior,” Duckworth said. “Making our national parks and public lands better reflect our nation’s people and history—and making these lands accessible to all—is critical, and I look forward to working with Secretary Haaland to help ensure these goals.”

Duckworth has been a longtime supporter of making public lands and national parks devoted to better reflecting the history and people of our country. Earlier this year she re-introduced the 1908 Springfield Race Riot National Monument Act, legislation to designate the sites of the 1908 Race Riot in Springfield, Illinois, as a national monument. Duckworth also recently introduced a resolution to make sure the FDR Memorial is accessible to everyone by installing tactile braille throughout the space and supporting the development of accessible education materials for visitors. 

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