DOGE Plans To Close 41 BIA, Indian Health Service, Gaming Commission & Dept. Of Interior Offices
Offices Providing Indian Health, BIA & Other Services Are Being Closed Across The United States In The Lower 48 Alaska Not Yet Listed F...
Offices Providing Indian Health, BIA & Other Services Are Being Closed Across The United States In The Lower 48
March 10th, 2025
Citing cost-cutting and efficiency measures, DOGE is pulling the leases of over 40 offices across the Lower 48 that provide services to Native Americans in at least 16 states. These include vital Indian Health Service (IHS) offices.
Alaska is not yet on the list.
The offices have annual leases that start as low at $2,798.
Closed lease terminations are in Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, Florida, New York, Louisiana, Idaho, and North Dakota, DOGE says.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs' history with Native Americans goes back almost 200 years.
The Indian Health Service is based on Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, and is "the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for Indian people," according the the federal government's current website.
Also according to the current website in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Minority Health:
American Indians and Alaska Natives have the lowest life expectancy at birth among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2022 the average estimated life expectancy at birth for American Indians and Alaska Natives is 67.9 years (71.3 for females and 64.6 for males), compared to 77.5 years for non-Hispanic Whites (80.1 for females and 75.1 for males). In 2023, 21.8% of people who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native alone reported being in fair or poor health – the highest rate among all racial groups.
