Federal office closures to hit Bureau of Indian Affairs, including in Arizona
Flags from Arizona's 22 federally recognized tribal nations line the lawn in front of the Arizona House of Representatives on Jan. 15, 2025, as part of the 30th annual Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror
As President Donald Trump's administration moves to shut down federal office spaces, several tribes across the country will be left without a Bureau of Indian Affairs office space, including in Arizona.
A list released by the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee reveals the scale of the General Services Administration's planned federal office closures across the Department of the Interior. These include 25 BIA offices — more than one in every four BIA locations nationwide.
U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said the impact on the BIA will be devastating.
'These offices are already underfunded, understaffed, and stretched beyond capacity, struggling to meet the needs of Tribal communities who face systemic barriers to federal resources,' Huffman said in a press release.
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The BIA closures include three offices in Arizona: a law enforcement office in Fredonia, an airport terminal building in Show Low and the Western Region Regional Office in Phoenix.
'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,' Huffman said.
The BIA works with tribal governments and tribal members across the country through the administration of a variety of programs and services, including employment and job training assistance, social services, natural resources management on trust lands, agriculture and economic development, law enforcement and detention services and the administration of tribal courts, implementation of land and water claim settlements.
The BIA office in Phoenix is located at 2600 N. Central Ave. and it serves 53 tribes in the western region, including 20 from Arizona. The office has a planned lease termination date of Aug. 31.
The Arizona Mirror contacted the BIA for comment on the slated closures, and its Office of Public Affairs issued a statement.
'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 statement said. 'The Department of the Interior is working with GSA to ensure facilities will be available for the continued delivery of BIA services.'
No additional details were provided on what these closures would mean for the area or the tribes the office serves.
The General Services Administration plans to terminate leases for more than two million square feet of office space used by the Department of the Interior across the country. The result will be closing 164 offices, including 34 U.S. Geological Survey locations and 33 National Park Service facilities.
'Shuttering these physical locations goes hand in glove with DOGE's 'destroy the government' approach, and it will make their illegal cuts even more challenging to reverse,' Huffman said in a press release, referring to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency that has been led by billionaire Elon Musk and tasked with gutting the federal government. 'The economic fallout will ripple across America, hitting small towns and cities where federal offices are many communities' only lifelines.'
GSA Public Affairs Officer Mary Simms said the agency's vision under Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian includes reducing deferred maintenance liabilities, supporting federal employees' return to office and taking advantage of a stronger private-government partnership to manage the workforce of the future.
'GSA is reviewing all options to optimize our footprint and building utilization,' Simms said in a statement emailed to the Arizona Mirror. 'A component of our space consolidation plan will be the termination of many soft term leases.'
She said the extent of the termination affects public-facing facilities and existing tenants, but the GSA is working with agency partners to secure suitable alternative space.
'In many cases, this will allow us to increase space utilization and obtain improved terms,' Simms added.
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