A most contentious hearing is expected Tuesday when New Mexico Democratic Congresswoman Deb Haaland goes before a Senate Committee to hear her nomination to be Interior Secretary and Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford will be listening and watching.
Oklahoma U.S. Sen. James Lankford and others on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will take part in the hearing which will be webcast live on the committee’s website.
But Haaland’s nomination, one supported by Native American tribes and environmentalists and opposed by some Republican Senators promises to have the potential to draw pointed questions about her opposition to the oil and gas industry and others that have benefitted in the past from drilling and mining on federal land.
The leaders of the 26 Oklahoma Indian tribes sent a letter in January to Sen. Lankford and Sen. Jim Inhofe urging their support of Haaland’s nomination. They said she “understands sovereignty and appreciates the trust relationship and our nation’s treaty obligations.”
If Haaland is confirmed by the full Senate, she will be the first Native American to serve in a Cabinet position in the history of the U.S.
“Rep. Haaland is not only a historic pick — she is the right pick for this position,” said the tribes in their letter to Lankford and Inhofe.
Sen. Lankford had yet to decide publicly whether he will support Haaland’s nomination. A senior aide indicated that after hearing from the tribes supporting her, Sen. Lankford also wanted to reach out to the oil and gas industry to inquire about its stance.
An inquiry by OK Energy Today with Sen. Inhofe’s office was not answered.
Haaland’s nomination drew opposition from at least 15 U.S. House Republicans. While they won’t be voting on the nomination, the representatives sent a letter to President Biden contending Haaland’s advocacy on environmental policies would hinder economic development in their regions.
“The nomination of Representative Haaland as Interior Secretary embodies clear support for the Green New Deal and a rejection of even the potential of high-wage jobs,” the Republicans’ letter states. “We implore in the strongest terms to withdraw the nomination of Representative Haaland and instead nominate a consensus-driven individual who will not implement policies that will kill jobs and increase the country’s reliance on foreign adversaries.”
Coverage of the issue by some news organizations focused on campaign contributions from oil and gas to Senators and Representatives opposing Rep. Haaland’s nomination. None bothered to mention any review of who or which groups gave money to the Democratic congresswoman.
OK Energy Today reviewed a campaign finance summary for Rep. Haaland’s 2019-2020 campaign which showed individuals at the University of New Mexico were among her largest contributors along with human rights groups in helping the congresswoman raise $2.2 million. Conservatives have often criticized colleges and universities for teaching liberal philosophies rather than conservative ones.
Rep. Haaland earned degrees from the University of New Mexico and UNM Law School. An estimated 96% of contributions from UNM employees went to Democratic candidates including her.
Other large contributors were the Womencount PAC, Elect Democratic Women, the American Federation of State/cnty/Municipal Employees and American Crystal Sugar.
The top industries contributing to Haaland were Human Rights, Retired, Lawyers/Law firms, Democratic/Liberal and Education.
Haaland was the second highest recipient of funds in the Human Rights category. Nineteen of the top 20 representatives in the House who received funds were Democrats. The only Republican was Rep. Tom Cole whose contributions ranked fifth.
| Elect Democratic Women | $10,000 | $0 | $10,000 | |
| 4 | American Federation of State/Cnty/Munic Employees | $10,000 | $0 | $10,000 |
| 5 | American Crystal Sugar | $10,000 | $0 | $10,000 |
| 6 | Communications Workers of America | $10,000 | $0 | $10,000 |
| 7 | Lobo PAC | $10,000 | $0 | $10,000 |
| 8 | Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union | $10,000 | $0 | $10,000 |
| 9 | Plumbers/Pipefitters Union | $10,000 | $0 | $10,000 |
| 10 | Pueblo of Laguna | $9,895 | $9,895 | $0 |
| 11 | National Air Traffic Controllers Assn | $9,500 | $0 | $9,500 |
| 12 | McGinn, Carpenter et al | $9,000 | $9,000 | $0 |
| 13 | MASHANTUCKET PEQUOT TRIBAL NATION | $8,650 | $8,650 | $0 |
| 14 | Akonadi Foundation | $8,400 | $8,400 | $0 |
| 15 | American Federation of Teachers | $7,625 | $125 | $7,500 |
| 16 | American Assn for Justice | $7,500 | $0 | $7,500 |
| 17 | End Citizens United & Let America Vote | $7,500 | $0 | $7,500 |
| 18 | K Project | $7,100 | $7,100 |
End Citizens United & Let America Vote were two groups that merged to get “Big Money out of politics and fixing the rigged system in Washington so that the government works for all Americans.” The group described itself as leading the movement to reject corporate PAC money in elections, PAC money that also went to Rep. Haaland.
The Akonadi Foundation is an Oakland, California group supporting the development of “powerful social change movements to eliminate structural racism” in Oakland.
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