TOPPENISH, Wash. – The Yakama Nation announced Friday that the General Services Agency (GSA) terminated its lease agreement with the tribe two years earlier than scheduled as part of ongoing federal spending cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The five-year $533,985 lease agreement between the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Yakama Nation provided a 17,107 square-foot office space for 85 federal employees to work on tribally-owned property.
The Yakama Nation did not receive a reason for the termination, however a saving worth the same amount of money and space out of Toppenish is listed on the DOGE website.
A press release from the Yakama Nation says its agency headquarters now faces lease termination on Sept. 25, 2025. The lease was originally scheduled to end on Oct. 31, 2027.
The BIA released the following statement and said it has no further information at this time:
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.
The Yakama Nation says services in the Toppenish headquarters help the federal government in performing actions related to responsibilities derived from the tribe’s Treaty of 1855. The workers within the leased space provide essential services in various departments including administration, human services and natural resources.
