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▶ Watch Video: Judge declines to stop DOGE takeover of U.S. Institute of Peace
Staff members at the U.S. Institute of Peace were informed they were terminated effective immediately on Friday, four sources familiar with the situation told CBS News.
It was not immediately clear if the terminations affect the entire organization but sources said the terminations impact the vast majority of the nonprofit, including multiple departments at the congressionally funded organization.
The Trump administration has attempted to freeze the institute’s funding and gut and replace its board. President Trump signed an executive order in February aimed at dismantling the USIP.
USIP has about 300 employees and a budget of roughly $55 million. The institute’s mission is to promote conflict resolution and the prevention of conflict across the globe.
Affected employees were notified of their termination by email from a USIP email address.
“Dear [Employee], this letter is to inform you of a change in your employment status with United State Institute of Peace (sic),” reads a copy of an email sent to one terminated employee and obtained by CBS News. “Effective March 28, 2025, your employment with us will conclude.”
Earlier this month, a federal judge declined to grant a temporary restraining order to stop the Department of Government Efficiency’s takeover of the USIP, after DOGE staffers gained access to the USIP’s building in Washington, D.C.
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell criticized how the DOGE team handled the situation but said she would not grant a temporary restraining order to stop DOGE. The USIP had asked the judge to stop DOGE from “completing the unlawful dismantling of the institute.”
The terminations at USIP came the same day the Trump administration took steps to formally shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.
USIP was created by Congress in 1984 during former President Ronald Reagan’s administration. Reagan signed a law formally establishing the institute as “an independent, nonprofit corporation.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request to comment on Saturday.
Sally Holland contributed to this report.
