Washington (TDI): In the lawsuit filed by United States Institute of Peace (USIP), calling its takeover by Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) illegal, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled in favor of DOGE.
This means that DOGE is allowed to takeover USIP.
On Monday, in a dramatic move, DOGE staffers forcefully entered the building of USIP and expelled its staff with the help of police.
Initially, USIP’s staff resisted by locking the doors of the building but when the police arrived, they had to surrender.
DOGE’s takeover of USIP is part of Trump’s mass government resizing and shrinking.
The plan believes that a lot of organization are unnecessary and must therefore be either dismantled or rebranded.
After Monday’s forceful entry, five board members of USIP sued DOGE calling its actions a “literal trespass and takeover by force.”
Reservoir @DOGE pic.twitter.com/lcfR6OJ8wu
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 20, 2025
The Judge, in her remarks, agreed that the entry was “terrorizing.”
She said, “I have to say I am offended on behalf of the American citizens.” However, she maintained that temporarily, she is allowing DOGE’s takeover and will hear the matter again.
USIP was founded by Congress in 1984. Although a non-profit and independent organization in principle, it is majorly funded by the Congress till date.
It is expected to receive $55 million in funding from Congress this year. There are, however, additional private donors as well.
Its mandate has been to protect US interests by helping to prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad until Trump decided to fire most of its board members.
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It is noteworthy that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are also on the board of the Institute, though not among the members who were fired on March 14.
Trump administration has already appointed a new President of the Institute who was among the staffers who entered the building on Monday.
USIP has maintained a presence in Pakistan since 2013 and has provided research awards to fund projects across various categories and themes.
Nuzhat Rana is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
