The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) regained access to its Washington, D.C. headquarters on Wednesday, two days after a federal judge ruled that the controversial takeover and firing of its leadership by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was unlawful.
George Moose, USIP’s acting president and a veteran diplomat, returned to the building alongside private security and the organization’s attorney for the first time since DOGE officials removed him during a March occupation. Moose and much of the board had been dismissed during a broader effort by Musk and the Trump administration to dramatically cut the federal workforce.
Following their removal, the institute and several board members filed suit, arguing that DOGE had no legal authority to dismantle the congressionally established organization. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell sided with the institute in her Monday ruling, effectively reversing DOGE’s actions and allowing the organization to resume control.
After conducting a walk-through of the facility, Moose said the building appeared undamaged. “Externally, visibly, things look to be in pretty good shape,” he noted. “I didn’t see anything that suggests damage or destruction.”
Moose announced that human resources, IT, and finance staff would begin restoring operations Thursday, with the goal of reinstating all employees who wish to return.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration signaled resistance. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly declined to address staff re-entry directly but defended the administration’s original actions. “President Trump is right to reduce failed, useless entities like USIP to their statutory minimum,” she said, calling Judge Howell’s decision an overreach that would be challenged.
Later that evening, the administration filed an appeal and requested a stay on the ruling, asserting that the judge misinterpreted the nature of the institute’s functions as non-executive.
Since the formation of DOGE, numerous federal agencies have been downsized or shuttered. However, the peaceful return of USIP to its headquarters marks one of the rare cases where a targeted organization has begun to reestablish itself following DOGE’s intervention.
USIP was founded by Congress in 1984 as an independent institution aimed at promoting global peace and resolving conflicts. At the time of DOGE’s intervention, the institute was operating in over two dozen conflict zones worldwide.
The confrontation began in February when Trump issued an executive order targeting USIP and three other agencies for closure as part of a broader campaign promise to reduce government size. DOGE’s initial takeover attempt sparked a tense standoff, and they later returned with FBI and local police support to forcibly take control of the building.
After assuming control, DOGE installed new leadership, terminated nearly all staff via personal email, and transferred the building’s oversight to the General Services Administration.
USIP, citing security concerns and potential liability, reached out to government attorneys in recent days to coordinate the building’s return. According to the institute’s attorney George Foote, the exchange went smoothly.
Looking ahead, Moose said the institute’s focus is returning to the work it was founded to do. “We’re ready to get back to projects and ideas that we believe matter to the American people.”