Tester Meets with Interior Nominee Haaland, Seeks Strong Commitment to Jobs, Public Lands, and Tribes

Senator: “If Congresswoman Haaland is confirmed, I will work closely with her to tackle the many challenges we face”

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today met with Congresswoman Deb Haaland, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to run the U.S. Department of Interior, to congratulate her on her historic nomination and discuss her upcoming confirmation hearing.

Tester and Haaland talked about the importance of protecting Montana’s public lands for future generations, supporting jobs that rely on healthy forests and public access, and upholding trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal nations.

“Congresswoman Haaland and I had a productive conversation today about her commitment to protecting Montana’s public lands and the jobs they create, and meeting federal responsibilities to Tribal nations,” Tester said. “If Congresswoman Haaland is confirmed, I will work closely with her to tackle the many challenges we face, including improving how we prepare for and fight wildfires, ensuring that Tribes, folks on the ground, and local governments have a say in land management, and making sure the Land and Water Conservation Fund works for Montana.”

During the meeting Tester asked Haaland about her positions on key public lands issues, and if confirmed, asked Haaland to work with him to roll back former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s efforts to cripple implementation of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. They also discussed Tester’s ongoing effort to pass and implement Tribal water compacts, and swiftly implementing Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis.

If confirmed, Haaland would be the first Native American cabinet secretary in U.S. history.