DOGE seizes congressionally created peace institute with federal police and FBI backup
Judge called it gross usurpation of power and ordered takeover reversed before appeals court stayed ruling
"The United States Institute of Peace was created by Congress in 1984 as an independent, non-partisan organization explicitly outside the executive branch. Its mandate is to support international peace negotiations, fund conflict-prevention research, train diplomats, and develop policy on preventing war. Congress designed it to be insulated from partisan political control — the argument being that effective peace diplomacy requires institutional independence from the administration in power.\n\nUSIP's headquarters in Washington is a $500 million building constructed with a combination of congressional appropriations and private donations, owned by USIP and specifically built to house the institute and its programs. As of March 2025, USIP employed more than 500 people worldwide and had active programs in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Ukraine, and more than a dozen other conflict zones."
Key Concepts
Essential concepts and terms to understand this topic
Appropriations Clause
No federal money can be spent without Congress passing an appropriations bill.
War Powers Gap
The constitutional gap between Congress's power to declare war and the president's power to wage military operations, allowing deployments to occur without formal congressional authorization.
Independent Agencies
Federal agencies with legal protections from presidential control to ensure impartial decision-making.
Power of the Purse
Congress controls all government spending and can leverage this over other branches.
Key People
6
George Moose
Acting President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace (March 2025)
Moose, a retired U.S. Ambassador who served in Benin, Togo, the Central African Republic, and Senegal and later as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President Clinton, was appointed acting president by USIP's remaining board members after Trump fired most of the board on March 14. On March 18, he issued the statement that 'DOGE has broken into our building' and called the takeover 'an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private nonprofit.' He was displaced when DOGE installed Cavanaugh as acting president.
NC
Nate Cavanaugh
DOGE representative; installed as Acting President of USIP
Cavanaugh was one of the two DOGE staffers who entered the USIP building on March 18 — the same pair who had previously forced entry into the U.S. African Development Foundation. He was installed as acting president of USIP by the Trump administration after displacing Moose. Judge Howell's May 2025 ruling declared his appointment as part of actions taken by 'illegitimately-installed leaders' that were 'null and void.' The appellate court's June 2025 stay reinstated him while litigation continued.
Beryl Howell
U.S. District Judge, District of Columbia
Howell issued the major ruling in the USIP case on May 19, 2025 — a 102-page decision declaring the DOGE takeover 'null and void' and a 'gross usurpation of power.' She found that USIP is not part of the executive branch and therefore the president lacked authority to fire its board and install DOGE leadership. Her ruling temporarily restored USIP's original leadership and returned the building to the institute. The D.C. Circuit later stayed her ruling, though the underlying legal question she addressed — whether the president can seize a congressionally chartered independent institution — remains unresolved.
Justin Aimonetti
DOGE staffer
Aimonetti entered the USIP building on March 18 alongside Cavanaugh. He had previously been involved in the forced entry into the U.S. African Development Foundation, establishing a pattern of DOGE conducting physical takeovers of congressionally established independent organizations. His involvement in multiple such operations indicated this was a deliberate DOGE strategy rather than a one-time improvisation.
Don Beyer
U.S. Representative (D-VA-8), member of Joint Economic Committee
Beyer, along with Representative Terri Sewell, led the congressional response to the USIP takeover by issuing formal demands for answers and calling the entry 'brazenly illegal.' His involvement, alongside other members of the Congressional USIP caucus, framed the takeover as a separation-of-powers violation rather than a budget dispute — emphasizing that Congress created USIP outside the executive branch specifically to prevent presidential control.
Terri Sewell
U.S. Representative (D-AL-7)
Sewell joined Representative Don Beyer in leading the congressional response to the USIP takeover, issuing formal demands for answers from the administration and calling the forced entry brazenly illegal. Her involvement helped frame the takeover as a bipartisan separation-of-powers concern rather than a partisan budget dispute.
Claims & Perspectives
True
True
DOGE entered USIP on March 18, 2025 with the assistance of D.C. police, FBI agents, and U.S. attorneys who threatened criminal prosecution.
NPR's reporting confirmed DOGE staff entered with D.C. police help [1]. Fortune confirmed the forced entry and Moose's statement [2]. WUSA9 confirmed the method of entry [3]. Multiple sources confirm U.S. attorneys threatened criminal prosecution of staff who resisted.
True
USIP was created by Congress as an independent organization explicitly 'not an agency or establishment of the United States Government.'
USIP's founding statute from 1984 explicitly states it is 'not an agency or establishment of the United States Government' [1][2]. This language was the core of the legal argument that Trump lacked authority to fire its board and install new leadership.
True
Judge Beryl Howell declared the DOGE takeover of USIP 'null and void' in a May 19, 2025 ruling.
The Hill [1], NBC News [2], and ABC News [3] all confirmed Judge Howell's May 19, 2025 ruling explicitly declaring the takeover 'null and void' and a 'gross usurpation of power.' Her 102-page ruling cited the illegitimate installation of DOGE leadership as the basis for voiding the actions.
True
The D.C. Circuit Court stayed Howell's ruling on June 27, 2025, returning physical control to the Trump administration.
NBC News confirmed the D.C. Circuit's June 27, 2025 stay of Howell's ruling, which returned physical control to the Trump administration and reinstated Cavanaugh [1]. CBS News confirmed USIP had briefly regained its headquarters after Howell's ruling before the stay took effect [2].
True
USIP had programs in more than 20 countries at the time of the takeover, which were disrupted by the DOGE action.
Common Dreams and Nonprofit Quarterly confirmed USIP's global program footprint and the disruption caused by the takeover [1][2]. Active programs in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Ukraine, and African conflict zones were suspended when USIP's operations ceased.
What you can do
Contact your representative to support legislation clarifying USIP's independence and limiting executive encroachment on congressionally chartered institutions
civic action
The USIP case exposed a legal gap: Congress created USIP outside the executive branch, but the administration challenged whether that's constitutional. Congress can clarify its intent with legislation reaffirming USIP's independence and establishing legal protections for other congressionally chartered institutions like the Smithsonian and National Endowment for the Arts.
Contact your senators to demand Senate Judiciary Committee oversight of DOGE's methods for entering government-affiliated buildings
civic action
DOGE used D.C. police, FBI agents, and U.S. attorneys to force entry into USIP — a congressionally chartered institution. The deployment of law enforcement to facilitate a contested political takeover raises serious due process and separation-of-powers concerns that Senate Judiciary has authority to investigate.
Support USIP's international programs and monitor the case outcome as it continues through the D.C. Circuit
education
USIP runs active peace programs in more than 20 countries. The institute's work on conflict prevention and peace negotiation is a form of national security investment that doesn't involve combat. Tracking the ongoing litigation and supporting the institute's mission helps maintain public attention on a case with broad implications for independent governmental institutions.