U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan on Thursday voted to move ahead with Deb Haaland’s nomination to be Interior secretary.
Sullivan was the last of Alaska’s congressional delegation to officially weigh in on Haaland. Congressman Don Young came to her Senate confirmation hearing last month and endorsed her. He knows Haaland from their work on the House Resources Committee.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted in committee to advance Haaland’s nomination to the full Senate.
Thursday’s Senate vote was on “cloture” — shutting off debate so the nomination can go to a final vote, scheduled for Monday. If confirmed, Haaland would be the first Indigenous person to become a cabinet secretary.
Cloture votes don’t necessarily predict what a senator will do in the final vote. Sullivan is leaving open the possibility he could still vote against her.
“Sen. Sullivan had another hour-long meeting with Congresswoman Haaland yesterday and is following up on numerous commitments Haaland has made to him and continuing to evaluate her responses to questions he has raised,” Sullivan Press Secretary Nate Adams said by email.
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Haaland’s nomination creates a dilemma for Alaska’s congressional delegation. She has enthusiastic support from many Alaskans, particularly Alaska Natives, but she’s also advocated against one of the delegation’s major goals: oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She’s also spoken out against drilling on federal lands in general.
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Only four Republican senators voted to advance Haaland’s confirmation today: The two Alaskans, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
