Amata Welcomes Interior Secretary Haaland
Washington, D.C. – Monday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata congratulates Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland upon confirmation by the U.S. Senate, and welcomes her to this key leadership role, which is important to American Samoa.
Congresswoman Amata with Secretary Haaland recently at the US Capitol
"I want to welcome and congratulate Secretary Haaland, my former colleague," said Congresswoman Amata. "She mentioned that she wants to come and see American Samoa on a visit soon. I know Secretary Haaland as we served together on the House Natural Resources Committee. She is qualified and ready to provide steady leadership to the Department, and she takes her place in U.S. history as the first Native American in this role. I'm pleased to have the top leadership of the Department in place, so that work and decisions can move forward. The role of the Interior Department is always important to the Insular Areas."
Congresswoman Amata and Secretary Haaland
Secretary Haaland was nominated by President Biden, and received support from the start from Dean of the House Don Young (R-Alaska), ultimately having the support of the Republican delegation from Alaska, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan. In addition to Democratic support, she also received bipartisan support from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).