Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana told Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM), who was nominated to be the first Native American member of a presidential cabinet, that her confirmation would cause "more divisiveness" in the country.
At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Daines suggested that Haaland shouldn't be confirmed as secretary of the Interior because she has worked to eliminate the use of fossil fuels.
"If we can move President Biden's agenda forward together, we can create those millions of [green energy] jobs," Haaland told Daines.
Daines used the remainder of his time to attack Haaland.
"I'm just concerned about proceeding with this nomination," he said. "The track record and the ideology and the past, I think, will perpetuate more divisiveness and will certainly harm Montana's economy. And that's why I have some concerns."
