WASHINGTON: Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico made history when the United State Senate confirmed her as President Biden’s secretary of the Interior, making her the first Native American to lead a cabinet agency.

The confirmation vote on Monday was 51-40, with four Republican Senators crossing the party line to vote yes with all the Democratic Senators in attendance, reports Xinhua news agency.

The vote makes Haaland the first Native American to head a cabinet agency, who will assume office on Wednesday.

To assuage her critics' concerns, Haaland said during her confirmation hearing that energy from fossil fuels "does and will continue to play a major role in America for years to come," meanwhile stressing the need to find a "balance" between fossil fuels and fighting climate change.

Haaland's supporters have touted the historic nature of her nomination in that the US now has the first Native American to lead an agency whose responsibility for the country's 574 federally recognised tribes is considered to be significant.

The new interior secretary will be charged with essentially reversing the agency’s mission over the past four years. The Interior Department, led by David Bernhardt, a former oil lobbyist, played a central role in the Trump administration’s systematic rollback of environmental regulations and the opening up of the nation’s lands and waters to drilling and mining.

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