The Trump administration recently fired the majority of the board members of the US Institute of Peace (USIP) and replaced its leader at the organization’s headquarters in Washington D.C., as part of their ongoing efforts to target agencies involved in foreign assistance work.

Three remaining members of the group’s board – defense secretary Pete Hegseth, secretary of state Marco Rubio, and national defense university president Peter Garvin – fired the institute’s president and CEO, George Moose, according to a document obtained by the Associated Press.

An executive order signed by Donald Trump last month targeted the organization, which was established by Congress over four decades ago, and other similar groups for reduction.

Current employees at USIP mentioned that staff from Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” entered the building despite protests. The organization called the police, which were present outside the building on Monday.

USIP is a congressually funded independent non-profit that focuses on conflict resolution, ending wars, and promoting good governance.

Moose stated, “DOGE has broken into our building.” Police vehicles were outside the Washington building on Monday evening.

The CEO vowed legal action, claiming that this was an “illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private non-profit”.

Moose emphasized that USIP’s headquarters is not a federal building. He stated, “It was very clear that there was a desire on the part of the administration to dismantle a lot of what we call foreign assistance, and we are part of that family.”

Access to the building was gained by the Doge workers following several failed attempts on Monday, and after being turned away on Friday, stated a senior US Institute of Peace official.

It remains unclear what the Doge staffers were searching for in the non-profit’s building, which is located across the street from the state department in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly mentioned USIP’s noncompliance with Trump’s order, stating that “11 board members were lawfully removed, and remaining board members appointed Kenneth Jackson acting president”.

Moose highlighted that the organization had been communicating with Doge for a month, emphasizing their independent status. He expressed confusion on how their work might misalign with Trump’s goals, stating, “Keeping us out of foreign wars, resolving conflicts before they drag us into those kinds of conflicts.”

Doge showed interest in USIP for weeks but faced rejections from lawyers who argued that the institute’s status protected it from the reorganization occurring in other federal agencies.

On Friday, Doge members arrived with FBI agents, who left after the institute’s lawyer informed them of USIP’s “private and independent status”.

Chief of security Colin O’Brien mentioned that police assisted Doge members in entering the building on Monday, and the organization’s private security team had their contract canceled.

According to its website, the US Institute of Peace is a nonpartisan, independent organization dedicated to protecting U.S. interests by helping prevent violent conflicts and promoting peace efforts internationally.

The non-profit was established by Congress in 1984 and does not meet U.S. code definitions for terms such as “government corporation”, “government-controlled corporation”, or “independent establishment”.

Other organizations named in the president’s executive order include the US African Development Foundation, which invests in African small businesses, the Inter-American Foundation, which invests in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Presidio Trust, which oversees a national park site near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The African Development Foundation also attempted to prevent Doge staff from entering its offices in Washington, but a federal judge ruled last week that removing the majority of its grants and staff would be legal. The president of the Inter-American Foundation has filed a lawsuit to block her firing in February by the Trump administration.