WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith wrote letters to Trump administration officials demanding answers about reported closures of federal buildings in Greater Minnesota, according to news releases shared Tuesday, March 4.
According to its website, the Department of Government Efficiency plans to cancel the lease for the Bemidji Indian Health Service office. The senators said the Bemidji Area Office is responsible for health care services for 34 Tribal Nations and 4 urban Indian health programs across five states.
"Thousands of members of federally recognized Tribal Nations receive healthcare within the Bemidji Area Office's purview," they wrote.
"This includes emergency care, substance use disorder treatment, mental healthcare, primary, specialty, and dental care, and much more. Without an operational Area Office, recipients of this care will face immediate disruptions in care and health consequences. It is unconscionable to risk the healthcare of children and families in this way."
Smith and Klobuchar are also concerned with the reported closure and sale of the federal courthouse in Fergus Falls, the only federal court in the state outside of Duluth or the Twin Cities.
The senators said the courthouse also houses law enforcement offices, putting the entire Western Minnesota region at risk.
"The building is home to U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Probation Office," they wrote. "Each of the occupants ... provide essential services, including law enforcement and public safety."
The letters demand clarity and transparency and ask what will be done to prevent service disruptions.
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