Democrat vows to ‘stop Doge’s illegal power grab’ at non-profit peace institute

A senior Democratic congressman vowed to “stop Doge’s illegal power grab” after operatives from Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” gained entry to the US Institute of Peace in Washington – an independent organization established by Congress – and forced out its leaders.

“I was at USIP tonight to conduct congressional oversight over Doge’s break-in,” Don Beyer of Virginia said on Monday. “I spoke with [removed] acting president & CEO [George] Moose. USIP is an independent, non-profit entity and I will work to stop Doge’s illegal power grab.”

USIP describes itself as “a nonpartisan, independent organization dedicated to protecting US interests by helping to prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad”.

It adds: “Our work helps keep America safe, reducing the risk that the United States will be drawn into costly foreign wars that drive terrorism, criminal gangs and migration. We help make America stronger by projecting US influence and bolstering partner countries in regions destabilized by China and other US adversaries.”

Founded by Congress in 1984, it is not subject to White House control.

Regardless, USIP has long come under attack by rightwing groups including the Heritage Foundation, the thinktank behind the Project 2025 plan to slash federal government.

In February, Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting USIP and three other organizations for “eliminat[ion] to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”. That made USIP subject to the attentions of Doge, the brutal cost-slashing operation run by Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX billionaire who donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Trump’s election campaign.

Doge agents on Friday tried to gain entry to USIP headquarters, on Constitution Avenue near the National Mall. USIP said “several members” of Doge arrived “unannounced [and] accompanied by two FBI agents” but were turned away by an outside counsel, who “informed them of USIP’s private and independent status as a non-executive branch agency”.

Appealing to the White House, USIP said it was “committed to the cooperation and comity with the Trump administration it has exhibited in its work with seven administrations since its founding under President Ronald Reagan”, including “ensuring the responsible use of taxpayer funds, aggressively pursuing its ongoing efforts to modernize and make all aspects of its operations more efficient”.

The appeal was to no avail. On Monday, amid extraordinary scenes, Moose told the Associated Press that Doge had “broken into our building”. Sophie Lin, a USIP lawyer, called the New York Times as she was escorted out.

“Doge just came into the building,” Lin said, “… they’re bringing the FBI and brought a bunch of DC police.”

The Trump administration cited non-compliance with its order as it fired 11 USIP board members, leaving only three, including Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, and Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host turned secretary of defense. They named as acting president Kenneth Jackson, an official from the US Agency for International Development (USAid) – itself subject to brutal cuts.

Moose said: “Our statute is very clear about the status of this building and this institute. So what has happened here today is an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private non-profit corporation.”

Speaking outside USIP, Bayer said it “had been basically stormed by Doge, with the support of the DC police and all the employees were forced out. They actually picked the locks on the door of George Moose, the chairman of the institute, and forced him to come out.

“I came down here because this is not a federal agency. This is an agency that does not report to Donald Trump. It’s a congressionally chartered non-profit, and like thousands of non-profits, it gets some federal funding, but that’s all subject to review by Congress, not the president of the United States.

“I’ve tried to gain entry … but they won’t let me in. So I’m just here to make sure the American people know that this is a violation of the law, almost certainly unconstitutional, and this is the wrong way to right-size the federal government.”

The White House pushed back. A spokesperson told Axios: “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.”

An unnamed Trump official said: “We believe that they are an agency within the executive branch, and they need proper oversight by officials who are elected. And career bureaucrats cannot stay indefinitely in positions with no oversight.”

Musk was not elected. Condemnation was wide-ranging.

Helen Clark, a former prime minister of New Zealand and United Nations official, called the move “a new low in DC” under Trump.

Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International, called the USIP takeover a “huge red flag moment” and asked: “If Doge can do this to USIP, what’s to stop them from breaking into offices of other [non-governmental organizations] that receive US funds? Or law firms or media that annoy the president?”

Tom Malinowski, a former diplomat and Democratic New Jersey congressman, said: “What’s important about the USIP takedown is not that the Institute does good work (I think it does; others can disagree). It’s that Musk and Trump are again deliberately breaking the law to test if Congress and the courts will let them get away with it.

“… This is no more legal than if the government fired the board of a university or your local United Way charity, and sent FBI agents to force their current leaders from their own building. If Musk [and] Trump can get people to justify this, they’ll be a step closer to justifying that.”