DOGE Moves to Take $500 million U.S. Institute of Peace Building for Nothing

Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” moved to take into the General Services Administration free of charge the $500 million building owned by the non-profit U.S. Institute of Peace and all the Institute’s other assets.

DOGE is a subset of a White House IT team, not a government department.

Although created and funded by Congress, USIP is an independent non-profit organization, not part of any branch of the USA’s government. Its mission is to reduce international conflicts and promote peace.

On 14 March 2025, Donald Trump somehow fired 10 voting members of USIP’s board of directors and USIP workers refused to allow DOGE people into its building, which it owns. Over the ensuing weekend, DOGE pressured, at their homes, members of the private security service contracted by USIP, including threats to terminate all of the company’s government contracts. The company’s contract with USIP was reportedly cancelled.

On Monday 17 March, DOGE used a key from one of the security company’s personnel and armed officers from the FBI and D.C. Metropolitan Police to force their way into USIP. The head of USIP barricaded himself in his office. DOGE used a locksmith to get to him and kick him out, replacing him with their pick Kenneth Jackson, formerly with the State Department.

Some of the ousted USIP officials filed a lawsuit seeing help from a court “to stop Defendants from completing the unlawful dismantling of the Institute.”

On 19 March, Federal District Court Judge Beryl Howell criticized DOGE but declined to issue a temporary restraining order reinstating the board.

On 31 March, the plaintiffs updated the court as follows:

On 25 March, DOGE staffer Nate Cavanaugh replaced Jackson as USIP CEO. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed Cavanaugh in writing to transfer USIP’s assets, including its real estate, to the GSA.

Cavanaugh then sent a letter to GSA Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian, saying, “I have concluded that it is in the best interest of USIP, the federal government, and the United States for USIP to transfer its real property located at 2301 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20037, to GSA and to seek an exception from the 100 percent reimbursement requirement for the building.” Cavanaugh estiamtes the building has a “fair market value” of $500 million.

On 29 March, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought sent Ehikian written approval of his request “to set the amount of reimbursement at no cost for the transfer of the United States Institute of Peace’s (USIP) headquarters building.” Vought is a main author of Project 2025.

On 31 March, along with updating the court, lawyers for the former USIP officials filed a motion to prevent the transfer of assets. To oppose the motion, government lawyers claimed USIP is an executive agency of the government. Howell commented in previous court proceedings about the unusual structure of USIP and the fact that it is a non-profit operating outside the government.

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