10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent

Three-and-a-half blocks southwest of the White House, the Department of the Interior’s headquarters blends into the Washingtonscape White limestone. Neoclassical design. The concert hall across the street gets far more attention.

It is an agency with an old-fashioned name and without a catchy acronym. It’s no DOJ or even USDA.

Yet it is among the most powerful and far-reaching agencies in the president’s Cabinet. And now, with the confirmation of former Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., as its new secretary, the Interior has made history.

Here are 10 reasons you should care about the Interior and its new leadership.
 

1. The land mass it controls. Some big numbers here. The Department of the Interior manages one-fifth of all of the land in the United States, about 500 million acres. That’s larger than France. Its mission to “conserve and manage” this land for the benefit of the American people raises eternal debates over conservation versus energy production.
2. The energy its territory provides. Whether by mining, drilling or other methods, energy production in agency-managed areas accounts for about 30 percent of all the energy used in the U.S. The agency has the power to either limit or expand production on some of the most sought-after areas in the country. In addition, Interior is the agency overseeing most federal safety laws in mines and at drilling sites.
3. The water it controls. More big numbers. The agency oversees some 800 dams and reservoirs, providing water to 31 million people and one in five farmers in the western U.S.
4. It is relatively high-ranking. The interior secretary is eighth in line to the presidency, a rather high ranking out of the 22 positions in the Cabinet.  (It follows the vice president, speaker of the House, president pro tem of the Senate and then the secretaries of State, Treasury, Defense and the Attorney General.) 
5. Haaland’s historic confirmation.  We did the math. The current Cabinet agencies have together been led by 580 different secretaries in U.S. history. But Haaland is the first Native American to head any of the agencies.  
6. Heavy climate role. Interior plays a pivotal role in addressing, or ignoring, concerns about climate change. As the agency overseeing so much energy production in the country, as well as environmental preservation on federal lands, Interior could play a potentially consequential role in any effort to substantially shift the country from fossil to more renewable energy production. And the agency has broad-reaching oversight functions. For example, the Interior has oversight of Army Corps of Engineer projects in large areas, like protected coastlines.
7. Its power and influence in the lives of Native Americans. Among the many agencies within Interior are the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education. The former is responsible for overseeing federal laws and policies affecting the nation’s 574 recognized tribes and the 55 million acres of land held in trust for Native Americans by the United States. (That includes reservations.) Many of the most important issues in Native American communities center on issues of land, water and self-governance. Advocates have long cried out that the agencies working on those issues are chronically underfunded, allowing pollution, poor access to education and other systemic problems to remain. While there is overlap with other agencies (including the Environmental Protection Agency), all of these issues are affected by Interior.
8. The animals of the United States. Also under the Interior umbrella is the Fish and Wildlife Service, which administers the Endangered Species Act and is often in the middle of controversial debate over which animals should be protected, and how. 
9. Hunting, fishing and national parks. The interior secretary has broad powers over when to allow and when not to allow hunting and fishing on the mass expanse of federal wildlife refuges. That includes roughly 86 million acres of land, according to the agency in 2017. It is an agency which promotes responsible hunting, fishing and use of the outdoors as an American tradition. And, of course, it includes “America’s Best Idea,” — 423 parks, monuments, trails and other places that make up the National Park System.
10. It is a boss. The agency has some 70,000 employees, working in most every state in the country.

SUPPORT FOR MEDICAID EXPANSION GROWS IN SOUTH DAKOTA, ONE OF THE LAST RED STATE HOLDOUTS
By Daniel Bush, @danielbush
Senior political reporter

At several points last year, Louise Snodgrass experienced some COVID-like symptoms, but worried each time how much testing or treatment would cost without health insurance.   

“I would have set up a doctor’s appointment if I had insurance,” said Snodgrass, 26, who works two jobs to make ends meet in Brookings, South Dakota. “Instead I sat there thinking, ‘What the heck am I going to do? I don’t even know if I’m going to get tested.’”

Eventually Snodgrass was able to get tested — the result was negative — after a boss offered to pay for a $76 rapid test at a pharmacy. The experience helped persuade Snodgrass in January to purchase an insurance plan through the federal exchange under the Affordable Care Act. But the $40-per-month plan, after subsidies, has a $6,000 deductible that still puts many health care needs out of reach.

The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare Snodgrass’ health care dilemma and that of so many other Americans, but those worries could fade if advocates succeed in a new campaign to expand Medicaid in South Dakota. Expanding the service — which is funded by the federal government and states and provides health care for low-income Americans — could cover more than 40,000 uninsured South Dakotans, or about 5 percent of the state’s total population.

“We believe people need access to care, and we also know that Medicaid expansion has been successful across the country,” said Deb Fischer-Clemens, the president of the South Dakota Nurses Association, one of the groups backing the expansion effort.

South Dakota is one of just 12 states that have not yet expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, in the decade since the legislation was signed into law by former President Barack Obama in 2010.

Most of the remaining holdouts are conservative Southern states such as South Carolina and Texas, where opposition to the law known as Obamacare still runs deep among Republican elected officials. But voters in six Republican-leaning states have approved ballot initiatives to expand Medicaid, including in Missouri and Oklahoma in 2020.

Read the rest of the story here.



FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Ian Couzens, @iancouzenz
Politics production assistant

U.S. House Republicans may follow Democrats in rebooting shamed 'earmarks.' March 11. The practice of loading spending bills with legislative “sweeteners” in order to garner support from lawmakers who might not otherwise be on board was set aside a decade ago amid some high-profile controversies. Why it matters: If Republicans join Democrats in agreeing to participate in earmarks again, it may signal a willingness to negotiate on a sweeping infrastructure package, one of President Biden’s key agenda items. But it could also, divide the right, as the party’s conservative wing has long considered the practice wasteful. -- Reuters

Challenge for Biden’s climate plan: Winning over US farmers. March 15. Most farmers don’t support Biden politically, and many are resistant to making changes that are costly and logistically challenging. Why it matters: Agriculture accounts for about 10 percent of climate-changing emissions in the U.S., and making farming greener is a crucial part of Biden’s broader plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change. -- Christian Science Monitor 

South emerges as flashpoint of brewing redistricting battle. March 15. Florida, Texas and North Carolina are expected to gain six new congressional seats between them. Why it matters: The redistricting process in those states is controlled by the legislatures’ Republican majority, giving them the ability to draw new districts in their favor when, for the first time in 50 years, the Justice Department won’t be automatically reviewing their maps to make sure they don’t discriminate. The GOP currently needs to net a gain of just five seats to take control of the House. -- The Associated Press

House Republicans pitch nuclear, natural gas as 'cleaner' energy future. March 15. Many of the provisions in the bill pitched as promoting natural gas could also boost the oil industry. Why it matters: The bill does not include measures promoting wind or solar power, nor does it seek to transition away from fossil fuel use, and signals an unwillingness to take more dramatic measures to combat climate change like those outlined in Democrats’ CLEAN Future Act. -- The Hill

‘Most influential voice’: Warren’s network spreads throughout Biden administration. March 15. A number of progressive allies of Sen. Elizabeth Warren who often share similar views on Wall Street have been recruited by the administration. Why it matters: The appointments signal the progressive movement’s growing influence on policy making and reflect the new administration’s emphasis on inequality and challenging corporate power. -- Politico



#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke
Politics producer

On Monday, Rep. Deb Haaland made history as she became the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history. She also previously made history as one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress and as the first Native American woman to be elected to lead a state party.

Our question: Who was the other now-congresswoman who shares the distinction with Haaland of being one of the first Native American women elected to Congress?

Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: How much additional money did the CARES Act provide each week to Americans receiving unemployment benefits?

Answer: $600

Congratulations to our winners: Tim Smith and Robert Schmid!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.