Most employees at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) received termination notices effective immediately. Only a small group of employees, including senior officials, are expected to remain to help close offices overseas. The move comes after a confrontation between the Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk and USIP staff, which resulted in the removal and replacement of leaders in the organization. The legal battle between USIP representatives and the Trump administration over the dismantling of the organization and the replacement of board members, including by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, ended with a judge denying a temporary restraining order. The government argued that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue since they were no longer in leadership positions at USIP. Despite concerns about how the situation was handled, the judge ruled against the TRO. The former acting president of USIP, George E. Moose, was also mentioned in the lawsuit, but the government argued that he no longer had the authority to file a lawsuit. The termination of most USIP employees brings an end to the organization’s operations in its current form.
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