Aliyah Chavez, Indian Country Today. President-elect Joe Biden, in a historic move, has chosen Rep. Deb Haaland to lead the U.S. Interior Department. If confirmed by the Senate, the New Mexico Democrat would be the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary. 

“A voice like mine has never been a Cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of Interior,” Haaland tweeted Thursday night. 

“Growing up in my mother’s Pueblo household made me fierce. I’ll be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land. I am honored and ready to serve.”

Biden confirmed the nomination late Thursday as part of his climate team, which also includes secretary of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency administrator, chair of the Council on Environmental Quality and national climate advisor.

“This brilliant, tested, trailblazing team will be ready on Day One to confront the existential threat of climate change with a unified national response rooted in science and equity,” the president-elect said in a statement.