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.