Judge allows DOGE to dismantle US Institute of Peace, fire staff

On Wednesday, a federal judge rejected a request to temporarily block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the building and making cuts at the US Institute of Peace (USIP). The agency claimed that DOGE acted without lawful authority to access the building.

Judge Beryl Howell expressed concern over how DOGE gained access to the building but stated that the fired board members likely lacked the authority to sue in their official capacity and dismissed some of their claims as a “stretch,” per The Hill.

The USIP employees claimed that they suffered a “literal trespass and takeover by force” by DOGE staffers.

“On March 17, 2025, the attacks culminated in the literal trespass and takeover by force by Defendants, including representatives of DOGE, of the Institute’s headquarters building on Constitution Avenue,” USIP wrote in its court filing. “Once physically inside the Institute’s headquarters, DOGE personnel and other representatives of Defendants have plundered the offices in an effort to access and gain control of the Institute’s infrastructure, including sensitive computer systems."

Howell also rejected a request to prevent further "trespass,” but also noted, “I am very offended by how DOGE has operated at the institute and treated American citizens trying to do a job that they were statutorily tasked to do at the institute. But that concern about how this has gone down is not one that can sway me in my consideration of the factors for a [temporary restraining order], which is an emergency relief that is extraordinary.”

USIP argued that with its status as an independent nonprofit, it is set apart from other agencies DOGE has taken a look at to cut spending. USIP was established by Congress around 40 years ago.
 

USIP accused DOGE of "ongoing destruction of the Institute’s physical and electronic property," per Fox News, and the lawsuit stated, "Defendants have been and are at this minute engaged in conduct that will cause the Institute irreparable harm that will prevent the Institute from performing any of its lawful functions and is likely to utterly destroy it."

Attorney Andrew Goldfarb representing USIP and five of the agency's board members argued that DOGE moved swiftly to reduce USIP “essentially to rubble.”

According to Goldfarb, DOGE’s first attempt to access USIP’s headquarters occurred on Friday, with FBI agents involved. When they failed, FBI agents visited the chief of security's home in an attempt to gain entry at USIP. On Monday, law enforcement from DC Police, Department of State Police, and the FBI helped DOGE access the building, according to USIP.

DOGE’s efforts to cut spending and reduce the organization was in an executive order that was signed by President Donald Trump last month that called for reduced spending across different government agencies.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said that after DOGE was able to access the building, “11 board members were lawfully removed, and remaining board members appointed Kenneth Jackson acting president. 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.”