FLAGSTAFF, Arizona (AP) – When Wyoming U.S. Senator John Barrasso attacked Deb Haaland during his confirmation hearing, many in the Indian country were outraged.
The exchange, along with the Secretary of the Interior’s descriptions as a “radical” – some other white and male Republican – hinted that Haaland is being treated differently because she is a Native American woman.
“If it was someone else, they would not be held accountable for their ethnicity,” said Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, president of the Wampanoag tribe of Aquinnah’s gay leader in Massachusetts.
In view of Wednesday, Barrasso wanted to make sure Haaland would follow the law regarding endangered species. Before the congresswoman could finish her answer, Barrasso shouted, “I’m talking about the law!”
Barrasso, former chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, later said his uncharacteristic reaction it was a sign of frustration at the questions dodged by Haaland.
“My constituents deserve direct answers from the potential secretary about the law,” he said in a statement. “They got very few.”
Among Haaland supporters across the nation who tuned in virtually, he was enraged.
“It was horrible. It was a disrespect, “said Rebecca Ortega of Santa Clara Pueblo, Haaland, New Mexico.” I just feel like if I had been a white man or a white woman, I would never have called it that. ” .
The Department of the Interior has broad oversight of energy development, along with tribal affairs, and some Republican senators have called Haaland “radical” for his calls to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and address climate change. . They said this could hurt rural America and major oil and gas producing states. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, after two days of hearings, said Haaland was a “neo-socialist work of Lenin’s left.”
Andrews-Maltais considered “radical” as a code for “you are an Indian.”
But Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana said it’s not about race. Daines frequently uses the term to describe Democrats and their policies, including President Joe Biden and former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, whom Daines defeated in November.
“As much as I would like to see a Native American in the president’s office, I have concerns about his background. … To say otherwise is outrageous and offensive,” he told The Associated Press.
Civil rights activists say Haaland’s treatment fits a pattern of minority candidates who face more political resistance than their white counterparts.
The confirmation of Neera Tanden, who would be the first U.S. Indian to head the Office of Management and Budgets, was called into question when she lost the support of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. He cited his controversial tweets attacking members of both sides.
Critics have also turned to Vanita Gupta, an American Indian and Biden’s choice to be associate attorney general, and California attorney general Xavier Becerra as secretary of health and human services. Conservatives launched campaigns calling Gupta “dangerous” and questioning Becerra’s ratings.
Democrats rejected Haaland’s treatment and wondered if attempts to block his candidacy were motivated by anything other than his history. Former U.S. cousins and cousins Tom Udall of New Mexico and Mark Udall of Colorado said Haaland “should be given the same respect and deference” as other candidates.
The audience itself, in which Haaland devoted himself to the development of oil and gas, national parks and tribes, represented a culture shock in the way the Democrat and many Indians see the world: everything is intertwined and must to exist in balance, preserving the environment for generations. to come.
This was seen in Haaland’s response when asked about her motivation for being Home Secretary. He recalled a story about Navajo Code Talkers in World War II that prioritized the idea of a word in his native language for “Mother Earth.”
“It’s hard not to feel compelled to protect this land, and I think all the indigenous people in this country understand that,” he said.
This broader historical context lacks Republican anti-Haaland discussion points that simplify the debate into a battle between industry and environmentalists, said Dina Gilio-Whitaker, a professor of American Indian studies at California State University. to San Marcos.
“Obviously, there’s a very big conversation about how the land came to be the United States to begin with,” he said. “This is the elephant in the living room that no one wants to talk about.”
Andrew Werk Jr., president of the Assiniboine and Big Belly tribes of Montana’s Fort Belknap Reserve, said the abrupt treatment of Republicans in Haaland was unfair to her and to Americans.
But he sees no racial bias in Daines ’actions to dismiss Haaland as“ radical, ”only hardened partisanship.
“For all the reasons Senator Daines opposes it, these are all the reasons we support her in Fort Belknap,” Werk said. “Our land is our identity and as tribes we want to be good stewards and protect it.”
Despite Republican opposition, Haaland has enough democratic support to become the first Native American to head the Interior Department. The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is expected to vote on the nomination next week before the full Senate begins.
Haaland, 60, weaved childhood memories, experiences on public lands and tribal rights in his responses during the hearing. She talked about bringing buckets of water for her grandmother down a dusty road in Laguna Pueblo, where she comes from, being careful not to spill a single drop because she recognized its importance. He spoke of harvesting an oryx, a type of antelope, that fed his family for a year, of his support for the indefinite protection of grizzly bears and the sacrifices of his ancestors.
Frank White Clay, president of the Crow tribe, which gets much of its revenue from a coal mine in the southeastern Montana reserve, said Republicans have “legitimate concerns about natural resources.” But he urged them to consider the historical nature of Haaland’s nomination.
“A native woman is about to be confirmed; her problems are problems of the Indian country,” White Clay said.
Haaland pledged to carry out Biden’s agenda, avoiding details about what he would do if confirmed. While the vagueness shocked Republicans, its sponsors said it proved to be a consensus builder.
“He didn’t lose his temper,” said Kalyn Free, who is choctaw and supports Haaland. “For me, this is not an indicator of their performance. … This is because he had to endure this shit for 60 years. It was not a new experience for her. “
___
Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.