DOGE officials attempted to enter the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on Friday and again on Monday. USIP is a nonprofit agency created by Congress under President Ronald Reagan 40 years ago to promote peace and prevent conflicts around the world. It’s 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 the administration planned to cut. He fired most of the independent agency’s board and installed a new CEO at the Washington D.C. headquarters. This was after the administration received pushback that the agency is not part of the Executive branch.
The three remaining USIP board members; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and president of 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 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 return later and break into the building. The President and CEO, George Moose called D.C. police to report the break-in.
When police officers arrived, instead of kicking out the DOGE staffers 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.”
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 with DOGE staffers now using armed men to get into these agencies by force. The first time DOGE broke into an agency 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, DOGE kicked the staff out and changed the locks. The Department of Justice was questioned about the armed men who claimed they were 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, and DOGE is now using armed men — whether they’re U.S. Marshals, FBI agents, or members of a militia — to force their way into agencies.
Red flashing lights and alarm bells are going off over Washington D.C. police officers assisting DOGE staff.
What is going on? (besides losing our democracy, our civil rights, freedom of the press, etc.)
We need to be on high alert for whatever comes next. If President Trump has control over the police department, will there soon be an attempt to use the U.S. Military against American citizens?
Will the military comply with illegal orders 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 the officers who arrived at USIP Monday evening who decided to behave that way.
The escalation from DOGE staffers requesting entry themselves, to bringing armed “U.S. Marshals,” to now using FBI agents, should be alarming to all Americans. The actions of the D.C. police officers is even more concerning.
