The Department of Government Efficiency is continuing its search for waste and fraud in the federal government.
DOGE has now directed the General Services Administration to terminate leases for Bureau of Indian Affairs offices across the United States, including one in Ashland, Wisconsin.
Uncertainty is growing as the BIA office lease in Ashland expires at the end of August. It serves as a regional hub for all 11 federally recognized Wisconsin Indian tribes, offering services such as land to trust applications, real estate management, and law enforcement support, among others.
The Oneida Nation stated that there are many unknowns right now, particularly with the 40 employees in the BIA office.
“What happens to the functionality of those positions and roles? Not necessarily the termination lease, but what happens to the employees who perform the work that the tribe requires?” Brandon Yellowbird-Stevens, vice chairman of the Oneida Nation, said.
According to Yellowbird-Stevens, the tribe primarily works with the BIA on real estate issues. He said the closure will make it difficult for the tribe to know what to do in those situations.
Oneida Nation would prefer self-government and local control over real estate transactions. They just want to know what’s going on.
“We’re always planning ahead, and we want to have those functions within the tribe that will allow us to do these things internally. “The transition is non-existent,” Yellowbird-Stevens stated.
The BIA’s forestry office lease in Shawano is also being terminated. As tribes navigate the uncertainty, they are working with political leaders to ensure that the government continues to fulfill federal treaty obligations despite BIA closures.
FOX 11 attempted to contact Representative Tony Wied, R-8th District, for an interview, but he was unavailable. Instead, he sent us this statement:
My office and I have been in communication with Tribal representatives regarding this issue. It appears that the Shawano office has been closed for some time now and the lease cancellation [in Ashland] is not expected to have a negative impact on WI-08 tribal communities. We will continue to monitor the situation and work with our tribal leaders to address any issues that may arise.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Ashland office’s annual lease is approximately $649,000.
The site’s lease was set to expire in 2028, saving more than $1.5 million. The Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council collaborates closely with Ashland’s BIA.
“What it could potentially do is force our tribal members to travel significant distances just to access those services,” Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians President Shannon Holsey stated.
According to Holsey, 200 BIA offices will close across the country, potentially causing economic instability for tribal members. She is fighting to keep the Ashland hub open, ensuring that trust and treaty obligations continue.
“It would eliminate a vital point of contact between tribal nations and the trust relationship we have with the federal government,” Holsey told reporters.
Holsey is currently seeking clarification from the Department of the Interior on what the future may hold.