Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has vetoed a bill that would allow state funding for the Office of Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP), drawing sharp criticism from tribal leaders and lawmakers.

The veto came on Friday, the same day recognized nationally as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. The legislation was introduced to amend Ida’s Law, passed in 2021 with bipartisan support, which required the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) to create an MMIP office. However, the law originally required the office to be funded through federal dollars, which the OSBI has been unable to secure.

The new legislation sought to remove the federal funding requirement, allowing the state to fund the office directly to continue the work of solving cold cases involving missing and murdered indigenous people in Oklahoma.

The move by Gov. Stitt sparked criticism from tribal leaders, including Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.

“Gov. Stitt should do more thinking and less thoughtless reacting when the lives of Native people are at stake,” Hoskin said in a statement, calling the veto "absurd."