DOGE Loses Battle to Take Over USIP—and Its $500 Million Building

The courts have decided against DOGE and nan US authorities successful their ineligible conflict to take afloat power of nan United States Institute of Peace, including a office building pinch an estimated worth of $500 million.

In a memorandum opinion, US territory tribunal judge Beryl Howell ruled successful favour of nan erstwhile institute committee and unit who had sued to beryllium reinstalled astatine nan agency aft DOGE affiliates forcibly removed them successful March. She besides gave a beardown rebuke to nan defendants successful nan case, who see nan US DOGE Service, President Donald Trump, caput of defense Pete Hegseth, and respective different authorities representatives and agencies.

“The purported removal of members of nan Board of Directors of nan United States Institute of Peace (“USIP”) … was unlawful,” Howell wrote successful nan order, “and truthful null, void, and without ineligible effect.”

The bid states that nan USIP committee members who had been forced retired must beryllium reinstated. It goes connected to state immoderate actions taken by nan agency since their removal—including nan office transfer—null and void. It further bars nan defendants from “maintaining, retaining, gaining, aliases exercising immoderate entree aliases power complete nan Institute’s offices, facilities, machine systems, aliases immoderate different records, files, aliases resources.”

The ruling caps disconnected 1 of nan astir melodramatic chapters successful DOGE’s authorities takeover truthful far. It’s besides 1 of nan fullest repudiations yet of DOGE overreach. The Justice Department did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

The conflict complete nan USIP began pinch a February 19 executive order that declared nan agency “unnecessary” and efficaciously called for its elimination. In response, nan USIP told DOGE representatives that it operated independent of nan executive branch. It didn’t work. On March 14, nan Trump management fired nan 10 voting committee members of nan USIP. That aforesaid day, according to court filings, DOGE representatives—accompanied by agents of nan Federal Bureau of Investigation—tried to participate USIP office but were turned away.

In tribunal documents, lawyers for nan USIP item a accelerated escalation of attempts to entree nan agency’s property. On Sunday, March 16, 2 FBI agents visited a elder USIP information worker astatine home, demanding accusation connected really to get into nan office building. That aforesaid day, DOGE allegedly coordinated pinch Inter-Con, USIP’s statement information firm, to participate nan building; USIP officials recovered retired and instantly suspended Inter-Con’s contract. It wasn’t capable to extremity them.

The pursuing day, according to tribunal documents, 4 Inter-Con labor showed up astatine USIP headquarters. When their badges didn’t activity astatine nan beforehand door, 1 of their colleagues showed up pinch a beingness cardinal and gained access. USIP unit past called nan DC Metropolitan Police, claiming unlawful entry. MPD officers yet arrived—and helped DOGE and different Trump management officials return power of nan building.

From there, nan takeover was swift. That Friday, March 21, six USIP staffers received termination notices. Court documents show that DOGE typical Nate Cavanaugh was put successful complaint of nan agency nan pursuing Tuesday, March 25, and was instructed to transportation USIP’s assets—including nan office building—to nan DOGE-controlled General Services Administration astatine nary cost. On Friday, March 28, “virtually all” of nan remaining USIP labor were terminated arsenic well. The adjacent day, Office of Management and Budget head Russell Vought signed disconnected connected nan plus transfer—before nan courts had a chance to norm connected a mobility from USIP attorneys to extremity it.