BIA office closure in Seminole raises concern over access to services for Tribal members

The General Services Administration (GSA) is not renewing leases at several government agencies across the United States once they expire this year. 

(SEMINOLE RESERVATION) The Bureau of Indian Affairs Wewoka agency office located in the Seminole Nation is one of 25 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) offices that will not have its lease renewed. 

Jared Huffman, a U.S. Representative from California shared a news release on February 28th with information about the closures. 

“Closing these offices will further erode services like public safety, economic development, education, and housing assistance—services that Tribal Nations rely on for their well-being and self-determination,” said Huffman. 

Even though many of the leases are not up until later this year, the impacts are already being felt. 

"The lease is still good until August but there's no employees there now,” Seminole Nation Principal Chief Lewis Johnson told VNN Oklahoma earlier this week. 

Johnson says that most of the six to seven employees that had been working at the Wewoka Agency were probationary which is why they were let go. 

On February 14th, thousands of probationary employees working across dozens of government agencies were let go from their jobs due to the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts. That order was rescinded last week.

Since learning of the lease terminations and office closures, Johnson has been in contact with the BIA office for the Eastern Oklahoma Region in Muskogee, Oklahoma. 

Eddie Streater, the BIA Director for the Eastern Oklahoma Region did not respond to VNN Oklahoma’s request for a comment about the closure. 

“If we have to travel to Muscogee it's gonna increase and not only travel time and costs for tribal members but it becomes burdensome for those that maybe are already limited on their own resources,” said Johnson.  “We've had this agency, it was here when I was a small kid and I'm 61 years old now."

VNN Oklahoma reached out to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for comment on the lease terminations and office closures and received the following response: “The Department of the Interior is committed to upholding federal responsibilities to tribal communities. Indian Affairs offices remain open and continue to provide services. The Department of the Interior is working with GSA to ensure facilities will be available for the continued delivery of BIA services.”

Johnson says the Wewoka Agency had been a key part of managing leases for citizens of the Seminole Nation. 

“They were doing agricultural leases for farmers that might lease some of a tribal member's land for agriculture purposes on the restricted lands,” said Johnson.

“Minerals, such as oil and petroleum and natural gas. Those types of arrangements with even others that want to lease those of tribal members allotted and restricted lands,” said Johnson. 

Since the real estate aspect is so important to the tribe, Johnson says they may contract someone to work in the Nation’s offices to make it easier for all parties. 

Another important service provided by the Wewoka Agency: firefighting. 

“The firefighting division for the Interior Division that was located here used all Native people that specialized and took extensive training and firefighting and they would fight local fires, especially grass fires, woodland fires even in other parts of the country,” said Johnson. 

Johnson told VNN Oklahoma, the equipment to fight those fires is still in the building where the Wewoka agency was located. He also said that the Seminole Nation may look into contracting the fire fighting aspect as well because of its importance. 

The leases for BIA offices in Pawnee, Pawhuska, and Watonga are also being terminated. 

Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear spoke with Osage News about the termination for the lease of the Pawhuska office and said he believes this move is about reshaping the trust relationship between tribes and the federal government. 

“We won’t need these Bureau of Indian Affairs and Interior employees if the environmental laws are changed to where there is no consultation requirement … then you won’t need the Bureau of Indian Affairs to be there to review and approve,” Standing Bear told the Osage News. 

Johnson highlighted the obligations that the U.S. Government still has to tribes regardless of who is in office. 

"We are working together with Interior still,” said Johnson. “They still have their fiduciary trust responsibilities to the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma bound by treaties and agreements with the United States of America from a government to government point of view so therefore they must still provide the services.”

According to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the closure termination of the lease in Seminole will save the federal government $184,770. 

The annual leases for the BIA offices are listed on the DOGE website under savings and then under the real estate heading. 

Johnson says his office will continue working with the BIA office for the Eastern Oklahoma Region to provide all of the necessary services for tribal members.