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US Interior Department to Get New Secretary 'Very Soon,' Official Says

© AP Photo / Richard DrewRep. Ryan Zinke, right, R-Mont., arrives in Trump Tower, in New York
Rep. Ryan Zinke, right, R-Mont., arrives in Trump Tower, in New York - Sputnik International
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The US Department of the Interior will have a new secretary in the very near future, US Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Michael Black told Sputnik.

In this Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 photo, Beatrice Menase Kwe Jackson, center, walks with Daniel Emory, both of the Ojibwe Native American tribe as they lead a procession to the Cannonball river for a traditional water ceremony at the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D. - Sputnik International
'Trump Administration Very Aware of Unique Sovereign Status of Indian Nations'
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — When asked when they will get a new Interior Department secretary, Black said, "It looks like it’s going to be very soon."

Speaking on the sidelines of the 115th Congress Executive Council in Washington, DC, Black explained there many issues "in Indian country" that the new secretary will have to be briefed on in order to make decisions and priorities for the administration.

"I believe the secretary plans on hitting the ground running, I don’t know where he’s going to be going but that’s my understanding," Black added.

At the end of January, the US Senate Energy Committee voted in favor of US Congressman Ryan Zinke to serve as President Donald Trump's interior secretary.

The United States has 566 federally recognized Indian nations, 229 of which are located in Alaska and the rest in 33 US states.

Moreover, tribes located throughout the United States are recognized by their respective state governments, according to the National Congress of American Indians.

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