Deb Haaland, Biden's Interior Secretary pick poised to make history as the first-ever Native American cabinet sec, got her confirmation hearing this week.
She also got a bunch of lectures from science-denying Republicans about the need to follow science. huffpost.com/entry/gop-sena…
"Republicans, by the way, are guided by science," Sen. Bill Cassidy insisted to Haaland in her confirmation hearing.
In a stunning 2015 vote, Cassidy + other GOPers rejected legislation stating that human activity is “a significant contributor” to climate change. AKA science.
“I do hope you’ll respect the science,” Sen. Steve Daines told Haaland in her hearing.
Daines, who previously advocated teaching creationism in public schools, blames lawsuits from anti-logging enviro "extremists" for upticks in wildfires, not climate change. AKA science.
"Do you think as medical doctors, we don’t believe in science?” Sen. John Barrasso asked Haaland, citing a tweet where she said GOPers don't believe science.
Her tweet was referring to the Trump admin erasing the word “science” from US govt websites. Because yeah, that happened.
Just an incredible amount of faux outrage by Senate Republicans over this idea that Deb Haaland will not follow science as Interior secretary.
The most glaring problem with Republican senators suddenly claiming to be the party of science is their years of silence under Trump, whose admin routinely dismantled science-based health protections, sidelined scientific evidence + rolled back progress on scientific integrity.
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Day 2 of Deb Haaland's confirmation hearing begins.
Newly elected Sen. Mark Kelly is up, but as he talks, there's a weird echo and woman's voice reverberating in the room.
Manchin: "There's a female voice coming through."
😂
Kelly talking about how "special" the Grand Canyon is. Says he and Sen. Sinema intro'd a bill to ban uranium mining outside the park and asked if she would support their proposal for a permanent ban.
Haaland: "I look forward to discussing this issue with you."
Risch is up. Asks Haaland whether she supports Biden's plan to stop the Keystone Pipeline.
"I have to respect it sir," she says. "He is the president of the United States."
Sen. Barrasso is up. He has said Haaland’s “radical views are squarely at odds with the responsible management" of public lands.
I wonder why a guy who's taken $1.14M from the oil/gas industry would think protecting public lands from drilling is radical? huffpost.com/entry/gop-sena…
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), who is about to testify in support of Haaland's nomination, just laughed out loud at Barrasso dramatically talking about how big Wyoming is.
National civil rights groups joining forces to help get Deb Haaland confirmed as Interior Sec.
New joint statement from NAACP, UnidosUS and Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, among others, praising her as "historic" + "a proven civil rights/racial justice advocate."
Part of their statement:
"A proven civil rights and racial justice advocate, Rep. Haaland will ably serve all Americans in her role as Interior Secretary, ensuring that the Department’s policies are both equitable and just."
Groups on the letter:
*Advancement Project National Office
*Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
*Demos
*Faith in Action
*NAACP
*National Congress of American Indians
*National Urban League
*Race Forward
Well well. Conservative Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) is testifying in support of Deb Haaland in her Senate confirmation hearing next week.
Smart move by her team. Will make it harder for Senate GOPers in there trying to frame Haaland as "radical."
Why are Republican Sens. Steve Daines and John Barrasso -- both of whom will play a role in Haaland's confirmation hearing -- attacking her as "radical" for wanting to protect public lands as Interior Secretary?
That Daines and Barrasso are suggesting a Native American woman is "radical" for wanting to protect public lands is also incredibly offensive + tone deaf given the U.S. government's violent history of forcibly removing Native Americans from their lands. huffpost.com/entry/gop-sena…
Been hearing from more Montana tribal leaders not happy with Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) for vowing to block Biden's Interior Secretary nominee, Native American congresswoman Deb Haaland, because she is "radical." huffpost.com/entry/gop-sena…
“Representative Haaland is not a radical," said Andrew Werk, president of Fort Belknap Indian Community Tribal Council in MT. "This is about who’s qualified for the job. And she definitely is.”
He noted Daines didn’t mention MT tribes at all in his statement attacking Haaland.
“It just makes my blood boil,” said Floyd Azure, chairman of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in MT.
Sen. Daines' efforts to tank Deb Haaland's nomination "just go to show that Native Americans are just second-rate citizens here in this country."
In layman's terms: it means Dems aren't going to let Republicans deny committee hearings to Biden's appeals court nominees by refusing to turn in a blue slip -- literally a blue slip of paper -- signaling they're cool with proceeding with a nominee from that senator's home state.
Blue slips are a courtesy in the Judiciary Committee, not an official rule, back when courtesy was *a thing.*
The idea is that a senator should get to sign off -- or not sign off -- on proceeding with a president's judicial nominee from their home state.