The US administration dismissed most members of the US Institute of Peace (USIP) board and installed a new leader at its Washington headquarters on Monday, continuing its agenda towards organisations involved in foreign aid work.
Staff reported that representatives from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency entered the premises despite objections about the institute’s independence from executive control. Police vehicles were stationed outside the building on Monday evening.
According to documents reviewed by The Associated Press, on Friday, the three remaining board members – Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Defence University President Peter Garvin – dismissed President and CEO George Moose.
“DOGE has broken into our building,” said Moose, speaking by phone from his office. “What has happened here today is an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private nonprofit,” he added.
This action follows a presidential executive order signed last month targeting the organisation for downsizing.
USIP, funded by Congress, operates as an independent non-profit organisation promoting US values in conflict resolution, peace-building and governance improvement.
A senior USIP official, speaking anonymously to AP due to the situation’s delicate nature, confirmed DOGE personnel gained entry after multiple attempts Monday, following Friday’s failed attempt.
A February 19 executive order targeting the organisation aims to reduce federal government size. The administration has proceeded with terminations and programme cancellations at various organisations, following USAID’s dismantling and cuts to other departments, including Education.
“After noncompliance, 11 board members were lawfully removed, and remaining board members appointed Kenneth Jackson acting president,” Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said Monday. “Rogue bureaucrats will not be allowed to hold agencies hostage. The Trump administration will enforce the President’s executive authority and ensure his agencies remain accountable to the American people.” Jackson was observed attempting to access the non-profit’s building earlier Monday.
DOGE’s previous attempts to engage with the organisation were unsuccessful, met with legal arguments about the institute’s protected status from federal reorganisation.
On Friday, DOGE representatives arrived with FBI agents but departed after the institute’s legal counsel explained USIP’s “private and independent status.”
Security Chief Colin O’Brien confirmed police assisted DOGE’s entry, and the organisation’s private security contract was terminated.
The non-profit, established by Congress in 1984 as an “independent nonprofit corporation,” maintains it doesn’t meet federal definitions of government or government-controlled entities.
