Twenty-five Bureau of Indian Affairs offices – including three in Oklahoma -- across the country are set to be shut down by the end of the year. Of those three, one is the Watonga office.
The closures were outlined in a February press release from Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman of California and are touted as an attempt from the Department of Government Efficiency to cut government spending. Technically, the property leases will be terminated. DOGE estimates closing the Watonga office will save some $38,573 annually.
The Watonga office is slated to be shuttered on August 31. At this point it is unclear whether the employees at the facility will be laid off or relocated.
Fourth District U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, said the lease of the Indian Health Services Office in Oklahoma City, originally on the list of axed properties, would not be terminated.
The Watonga Republican has reached out to the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Tribes for comment, but there has been no response.