In its latest attack on agencies involved in foreign assistance, the Trump administration has fired the majority of the U.S. Institute of Peace’s board and sent its leader to the Washington headquarters of this independent organization.
According to a document, the remaining three members of the group’s board – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as National Defense University president Peter Garvin – fired George Moose, President and CEO, on Friday.
The executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month targets the organization that was established over 40 years ago by Congress, as well as others, for reductions.
USIP employees claim that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency staff entered the building, despite protests from USIP that it is not part of the executive branch. USIP called police vehicles that were outside the building on Monday evening.
USIP is an independent nonprofit funded by Congress that promotes U.S. values through conflict resolution, the end of wars, and good governance.
Moose vowed to take legal action and said, “What happened today was an illegal takeover of a nonprofit by elements in the executive branch.”
He clarified that the headquarters of the Institute, which is located directly across from the State Department building, are not federal buildings. Moose told reporters that the administration was “clearly” trying to eliminate a large part of foreign assistance.
A senior U.S. Institute of Peace representative said that the DOGE workers were allowed to enter after many unsuccessful attempts on Monday, and having been refused entry on Friday. A senior U.S. Institute of Peace official said the official spoke under condition of anonymity because the issue was sensitive.
Trump’s executive order of February 19, which aims to shrink the federal government, targeted this organization as well as a few other organizations. After dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, and cutting other agencies including the Education Department, the administration has moved to fire or cancel programs in some of these organizations.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly cited USIP as “non-compliant” with Trump’s orders.
She said, “11 board of directors were removed legally and the remaining board members named Kenneth Jackson as acting president. Rogue bureaucrats won’t be allowed to take agencies hostage. The Trump administration will enforce President Trump’s executive power and ensure that his agencies are accountable to the American public.”
Jackson was seen Monday morning trying to enter the building of the nonprofit.
Moose stated that the organization has been in contact with DOGE for over a month now, trying to clarify its independence. In a statement about Trump, Moose said: “I cannot imagine how our goals could be more aligned with those that he has set forth, keeping us out of foreign wars and resolving conflict before they drag us into these kinds of conflicts.”
Lawyers argued that DOGE’s institute status shielded it from the type of reorganization occurring at other federal agencies.
The DOGE said that on Friday, two FBI agents and DOGE members were present. However, they left when the lawyer of the USIP informed them about the “private and independent” status of USIP.
The chief of security Colin O’Brien stated that police helped DOGE members to enter the building on Monday and the contract for the private security company was canceled.
The nonprofit says it was created by Congress in 1984 as an “independent nonprofit corporation,“ and it does not meet U.S. Code definitions of “government corporation,” “government-controlled corporation” or “independent establishment.”
