Veterans Cheer Biden’s Interior Pick

Washington, D.C. — Today President-elect Biden announced Congresswoman Debra Haaland as his nominee to lead the Department of the Interior. In reaction to the announcement, Vet Voice Foundation’s Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton, a US Army veteran, released the following statement:

“Deb Haaland is an excellent and historic choice to lead the Department of the Interior. The Senate should swiftly confirm her, so we can get back to having an Interior Department that sees our public lands as natural treasures rather than spots on a map for exploitation, privatization, and destruction. 

“Secretary-Designate Haaland has quite a task ahead of her. For four years, we’ve watched the Trump Administration lead the charge to sell off and destroy our nation’s public lands — from downsizing national monuments to staffing the Interior Department with anti-public lands fanatics to ignoring the threats of climate change.

“We look forward to working with President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, Secretary-Designate Haaland, and veterans from across the country to undo the wreckage of the Trump Administration and to build back better our Interior Department, our public lands, and the bureaus and agencies that oversee them — making them stronger and more safeguarded than ever before.

“Veterans have long-been champions of environmental stewardship. Secretary-Designate Haaland knows this and has always made a point of having an open door to us and has used her position on both the House Armed Services and Natural Resources Committees to elevate our voices. 

“There’s much to be done, Secretary-Designate Haaland. We’re ready to get to work.”