The City of Portland—joined by Multnomah County and Metro—is expressing strong support for the confirmation of Representative Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior. The City’s Office of Government Relations sent a Joint Letter of Support to leadership of the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources that is overseeing her confirmation hearing which starts this week.
Rep. Haaland’s accomplishments and voting record in the House have demonstrated that her values firmly align with the values and priorities of the City of Portland, Multnomah County and Metro. All three governments believe that Rep. Haaland has the foresight, resolve, and lived experience that will be pivotal to accomplishing the vision of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). Her commitments to the following are also our commitments:
- Upholding tribal treaty rights & trust responsibility
- Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women
- Ensuring genuine and meaningful tribal consultation
- Confronting the climate crisis
- Conservation, restoration & land management
“Rep. Haaland will significantly improve the federal tribal consultation process to ensure that it’s undertaken in a genuine and meaningful way,” Portland Tribal Relations Director Laura John said. “Her values align with City Council’s directive and commitment made in 2012 to honor and uphold tribal treaty rights and trust responsibility. Her deep commitment and actions around fossil fuels and climate change also strongly align with our city’s strategies for protecting the environment.”
Rep. Haaland’s confirmation for this important position will be historic; she will be the first Native American Cabinet Secretary and the third woman to serve in this seat since the DOI’s inception in 1849, aligning with equity and social justice called for within Portland’s Core Values Resolution adopted in June, 2020.
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