- Details
- By Rob Capriccioso
- Economic Development
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has confirmed Bryan Newland to become Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
After an affirmative voice vote by senators on the evening of Aug. 7, the Bay Mills citizen became the leader of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and all Native-focused programs at Interior. He was confirmed by unanimous consent, so there was no recorded vote.
He is believed to be the first person to hold the position who is from the Ojibwe Gnoozhekaaning and Bahweting territory of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. He will serve under the first Native American Cabinet secretary at Interior, Deb Haaland, a citizen of the Laguna Pueblo.
“I believe that tribal governments, rather than federal agencies, are best suited to respond to the challenges their communities face,” Newland testified in June at his confirmation hearing. “Our job is to be a collaborative trustee and ensure that Indian Country drives our work.”
Newland was the president of the Bay Mills Indian Community from November 2017 until he stepped down this year to join the Biden administration as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs. He was nominated for the Indian Affairs leadership position by President Joe Biden in April on Earth Day.
He received his law degree from Michigan State University and has previously been a practicing lawyer in the Great Lakes State, as well as a tribal judge and a supporter of Bay Mills’ tribal college. He served in the Obama administration as an adviser on Indian Affairs and counselor.
He vowed during his confirmation hearing to be a strong supporter of tribal sovereignty, Native American culture and economic development, Indian education, energy and environmental issues, and Alaska Natives.
“I am confident Bryan will carry out the duties of his position with the respect and dignity they deserve,” Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle told Tribal Business News soon after the confirmation. “Our ancestors would be proud!”
“I have known Bryan Newland since he was an undergrad and his mother, Vicki, as a tribal leader in her own right before that,” added Aaron Payment, chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. “Bryan is a brilliant and pragmatic problem solver. As a former tribal leader and attorney expert in Indian law, he is uniquely qualified to be an excellent assistant secretary.”
Newland’s former legal colleagues are also hailing his confirmation.
“Spartan Nation is very proud,” Matthew Fletcher, director of the Indigenous Law and Policy Center at Michigan State who has worked closely with Newland, told Tribal Business News. “Bryan Newland is an ethical, conscientious, and brilliant leader. First hand, he has experienced both the great things from the federal trust relationship and the dark side. He is an outstanding choice.”
Newland received bipartisan support, with U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Chairman Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii with Ann Arbor, Mich. roots, taking the lead in congratulating him on his confirmation.
“Mr. Newland has invaluable experience as a Tribal Leader, personal and in-depth knowledge of the issues facing Tribes, expertise in complex areas of Federal Indian law, an understanding of Interior’s unique role in fulfilling and enforcing the federal trust responsibility to Native peoples, and a diplomatic and respectful approach to honoring Tribal sovereignty,” Schatz said in a statement.
“It is clear from the record that Mr. Newland has the qualifications to succeed in this role, and to serve this country with honor as one of the chief federal advocates for American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives.”
Schatz said Newland received letters of support from more than forty tribes and tribal groups.