DOGE officials attempted to enter the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), a nonprofit agency created by Congress under President Ronald Reagan 40 years ago to promote peace and prevent conflicts around the world, on Friday and again on Monday. USIP is an independent, private, nonprofit agency, not part of the U.S. government.
President Trump signed an executive order last month that included the USIP in a list of agencies to experience cuts. Trump fired most of the board of the independent agency and installed a new head at the Washington D.C. headquarters, even after pushback that the agency is not part of the Executive branch.
“What has happened here today is an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private non-profit.” George Moose, CEO of USIPClick to post onThe remaining three members of the USIP board – the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth; the secretary of state, Marco Rubio; and the president of the National Defense University, Peter Garvin – fired the president and CEO, George Moose, on Friday, according to a document obtained by the Associated Press.
DOGE staffers first requested entry to USIP on Friday but were turned away. They returned on Monday with FBI agents but were denied entry once again after lawyers of the Institute informed them that they are not under jurisdiction of the Executive branch. They are an independent, private agency.
The DOGE staffers left, only to later return later and break into the building. The President and CEO, George Moose called D.C. police to report the break-in. When police arrived, instead of kicking out the DOGE staffers who had broken in, they removed USIP staff.
From reporting by The Guardian:
“George Moose said: “Doge has broken into our building.” The CEO vowed legal action, saying: “What has happened here today is an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private non-profit.”
He said the institute’s headquarters, located across the street from the state department, is not a federal building. Speaking to reporters after leaving the building, Moose noted: “It was very clear that there was a desire on the part of the administration to dismantle a lot of what we call foreign assistance, and we are part of that family.”
The Doge workers gained access to the building after several unsuccessful attempts on Monday and after having been turned away on Friday, a senior USIP official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
It was not immediately clear what the Doge staffers were doing or looking for in the non-profit’s building, which is across the street from the state department in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.
A White House spokesperson, Anna Kelly, pointed to the USIP’s “non-compliance” with Trump’s order.”
Something similar happened last week, but this is an extreme escalation in the way DOGE staffers are now using armed men to get into agencies by force. The first time this occurred was at the African Development Foundation.
DOGE had attempted to enter the African Development Foundation last week, but agency employees refused to let them in. They left only to return with two armed men claiming to be U.S. Marshalls. Once inside, the staff was kicked out and the locks were changed. The DOJ was questioned about the armed men claiming to be U.S. Marshals, but they declined to confirm or deny if the men were from the DOJ.
This is extremely disturbing. It happened to a private, independent agency, DOGE is now using armed men—whether it’s U.S. Marshals, FBI agents, or members of a militia—to force their way into agencies.
The red flashing lights and alarms are going off when Washington D.C. police are assisting DOGE staff. What is going on? (besides losing our democracy, our civil rights, freedom of the press, etc.)
We now have to be on high alert for what comes next. If President Trump now has control over the police department, we should question if there will soon be an attempt to use the U.S. Military against American citizens. Will the military comply with orders like that from the President? Or can they legally defy an unconstitutional/unlawful order?
Perhaps Trump hasn’t captured the entire D.C. police department. It could have been a decision made by the officers who arrived at USIP Monday evening.
Maybe they considered how violently police were attacked on January 6th, realizing Trump supporters will be more emboldened to attack police officers, knowing they’ll be pardoned just like the violent criminals went to jail for assaulting police officers on Jan. 6.
The escalation of DOGE staffers requesting entry themselves, to bringing armed “U.S. Marshals,” to now using FBI agents should be alarming to us all. The actions of Washington D.C. police officers is even more of a concern.
Things like this don’t happen in America, they happen in foreign countries as a democracy is falling.