Deb Haaland’s tough week on Capitol Hill

By Garrett Downs | 05/03/2024 06:21 AM EDT

The Interior secretary took bipartisan fire when she appeared before two committees this week.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Capitol Hill this week. Francis Chung/POLITICO

Asked by E&E News to compare her week on Capitol Hill to a trip to the dentist, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland laughed.

All in all, it was likely worse.

Haaland sat for more than six hours of testimony this week before the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Lawmakers bludgeoned her with attacks on policy and also made some personal digs.

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Republicans, who are frequently harsh on Haaland, aired their grievances with particular fervor over the Interior Department’s recent moves to restrict oil and gas leasing in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve and block the Ambler mining access road, along with the department’s new land management rule.

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