Home Secretary hires Native American as political adviser

SANTA FE, NM (AP) — A Native American attorney who oversaw the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs has been appointed chief political adviser to US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

The Department announced the appointment of Lynn Trujillo as Senior Advisor to the Secretary on Friday.

Trujillo is a member of the Sandia Pueblo tribe on the outskirts of Albuquerque and has ties to the Acoma and Taos pueblos. Haaland is the first Native American to serve as U.S. Cabinet Secretary.

Trujillo served nearly four years as Cabinet Secretary under Democratic Governor Michelle Luján Grisham of New Mexico as an important liaison to Native American communities during the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Initiatives during Trujillo’s tenure provided increased funding for local school districts on Native American lands held in federal government trust where property taxes cannot be levied.

She also promoted justice for missing and murdered New Mexico Natives and agreements allowing tribal cannabis programs to stimulate the economic development of Native American communities. New Mexico legalized recreational cannabis sales last year amid concerns over conflicts with a federal ban.

Trujillo previously served as National Native American Coordinator for the USDA for its Rural Development Programs and General Counsel for Sandia Pueblo.

Haaland and Trujillo are graduates of the University of New Mexico School of Law.

New Mexico intersects with 23 federally recognized Native American communities, including a significant portion of the Navajo Nation.

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