Judge Reverses DOGE Takeover of Peace Institute \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ The U.S. Institute of Peace retook control of its headquarters after a federal judge ruled the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) acted illegally in firing its board and staff. The Trump administration plans to appeal. The institute now prepares to welcome back its workforce and resume global peace efforts.
Quick Looks
- Judge ruled the DOGE-led takeover of USIP was illegal.
- USIP Acting President George Moose returned with security and legal counsel.
- Original board and staff were fired in March by DOGE.
- USIP sued the Trump administration to stop the shutdown.
- Judge Howell ruled Trump lacked authority to dismantle USIP.
- White House vows to challenge ruling, calling USIP “useless.”
- Appeal and stay motion filed by administration Wednesday evening.
- Institute to reinstate staff and resume peace-building operations.
- USIP was active in over two dozen conflict zones pre-shutdown.
- DOGE dismantled multiple agencies under Trump’s government-reduction order.
Deep Look
The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), an independent federal organization founded to promote conflict resolution and diplomacy, officially reclaimed its Washington, D.C. headquarters on Wednesday—just two days after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle it was unlawful.
Acting USIP President George Moose, accompanied by private security and the institute’s legal counsel, reentered the building for the first time since being forcibly removed in March by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial entity tasked with slashing the federal workforce. The reinstatement follows a legal victory for the institute and its board members, who challenged the takeover in court.
“We just did a quick walk-through — externally, visibly, things look to be in pretty good shape,” Moose told reporters. “I didn’t see anything… no visible damage.”
How the Takeover Unfolded
The conflict began when former President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February directing the closure of several federal agencies, including USIP. The move was part of his renewed promise to drastically reduce the size of the federal government if reelected. Musk’s DOGE team was assigned the task and quickly moved to terminate board members and staff, seizing control of the building with the help of the FBI and D.C. police.
DOGE installed new leadership, fired employees through personal email accounts, and transferred the facility’s control to the General Services Administration (GSA). The action triggered widespread backlash, with critics calling the shutdown an unprecedented breach of congressional authority.
USIP and its dismissed leadership filed a lawsuit shortly after, arguing that its independent status, congressional funding, and non-executive function exempted it from such executive actions.
Judge Howell’s Ruling Restores USIP
On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell sided with the institute, ruling that DOGE’s actions were illegal and that the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to dismantle the organization. In her opinion, Howell stated that Congress—not the Executive Branch—has the sole power to create or eliminate such entities.
Her decision marked a rare legal setback for DOGE, which has dismantled numerous agencies with minimal resistance under Trump’s directive.
Moose, a veteran diplomat and former ambassador, confirmed that USIP teams from HR, technology, and finance would return Thursday to prepare for full reopening. He said all former employees willing to return would be reinstated.
“The goal now is to get back to the work the institute was created to do 40 years ago,” Moose said. “We’re ready to continue the peacebuilding efforts that are, we believe, of great interest to the American people.”
White House Pushes Back, Files Appeal
While the atmosphere at USIP was calm on Wednesday, tensions continued to escalate at the federal level. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly issued a statement criticizing Judge Howell’s ruling and defending Trump’s authority to reduce federal agencies.
“President Trump is right to reduce failed, useless entities like USIP to their statutory minimum,” Kelly said, calling the decision a “rogue judge’s attempt to impede on the separation of powers.”
Later that evening, the administration filed an appeal and requested a temporary stay on the ruling while the case proceeds. Their argument hinges on the claim that Howell “erred” in declaring USIP’s functions as non-executive, implying that Trump did, in fact, have authority to act unilaterally.
The Significance of the USIP Case
Founded in 1984 by Congress, the U.S. Institute of Peace is a federally funded but independent body with a mandate to promote conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and nonviolent solutions to international disputes. Before its shutdown, the institute had active operations in more than 25 conflict zones, including regions in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
The DOGE shutdown of USIP was widely condemned as ideologically motivated and a direct challenge to Congress’s power of the purse and agency oversight.
Wednesday’s quiet yet symbolic return to its headquarters marks one of the few successful legal pushbacks against Musk’s DOGE and suggests other ousted agencies may follow suit in challenging similar shutdowns.
USIP attorney George Foote described the property handover as “very smooth and orderly,” noting there was no resistance or disruption from federal officials.
Judge Reverses DOGE Judge Reverses DOGE
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