Latest news with #USIP
Politico
3 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Who keeps a broken agency's $13M endowment?
Presented by Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump's unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. Send tips | Subscribe | Email Sophia | Email Irie | Email Ben In recent years, CHESTER CROCKER, a former RONALD REAGAN official, has contributed about $40,000 to the private endowment of the U.S. Institute of Peace, the independent agency focused on promoting international conflict resolution, where he once served as board chair. When DOGE entered the organization this year, it sent the entirety of the organization's $13 million private endowment — which counts as donors individuals like Crocker and massive companies like Chevron — to the Treasury Department, according to a DOGE social media post, a copy of the Treasury receipt viewed by POLITICO, and four people familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it. DOGE, on X, said the money was 'taxpayer dollars' to justify their authority over it. Crocker sees it far differently — and went to court in April to stop it. 'The fact of the matter is that those were private donations, and they were made for a specific set of purposes: in support of USIP activities and programs,' Crocker said in an interview. 'The idea of my contribution helping to support illegal ICE roundups in the streets of Los Angeles doesn't fill me with a sense of pride.' Their lawsuit is stayed for the time being, and the transfer — overseen by USIP president and DOGE staffer NATE CAVANAUGH, according to three of the people — raises questions from USIP allies about whether DOGE had the legal authority to move the money without a court order. 'Crocker is a donor to the Endowment of USIP, who specifically pledged money to USIP for supporting a permanent named conference room at USIP headquarters and peacebuilding activities on campus,' the lawsuit reads. Neither Cavanaugh nor the White House responded to a request for comment. GEORGE FOOTE, who represents USIP employees in their separate lawsuit filed in April against the Trump administration over its employee terminations, said Cavanaugh 'didn't have any court authority to confiscate $13 million of USIP corporate property.' 'He had no corporate right to take that money and give it back to the government,' Foote added. 'There's no legal basis for that.' In addition to the endowment, USIP receives roughly $55 million from taxpayers. Former USIP spokesperson LIZ CALLIHAN said that the base funding from Congress and the money from the private endowment were 'never mixed.' The Heritage Foundation, which wrote many white papers that the Trump administration has echoed in its policies, wrote in September that USIP 'is neither nonpartisan nor bipartisan as required by statute.' It called for Congress to withhold funding to the institute 'until it receives satisfactory evidence that the USIP is meeting its statutory requirements and providing the taxpayers who fund it an accounting of how their money is being spent.' This money transfer is one of several moves DOGE officials have taken in recent months to shutter USIP. Cavanaugh on Friday terminated almost the entirety of USIP staff, more than 200 people, after the administration spent months in legal battles fighting for the ability to dismantle the agency. MESSAGE US — West Wing Playbook is obsessively covering the Trump administration's reshaping of the federal government. Are you a federal worker? A DOGE staffer? Have you picked up on any upcoming DOGE moves? We want to hear from you on how this is playing out. Email us at westwingtips@ Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe! POTUS PUZZLER When did presidents begin receiving full-time Secret Service protection? (Answer at bottom.) Agenda Setting POWELL, ON THE BRINK: President DONALD TRUMP during remarks today did not rule out firing Federal Reserve Chair JEROME POWELL, whom he has criticized not lowering interest rates, but said it was 'highly unlikely' that he would do so, our VICTORIA GUIDA, MEREDITH LEE HILL and JASPER GOODMAN report. The president's comment came after he surveyed a group of hard-line House Republicans in the Oval Office on Tuesday night, all of whom want Powell out. After their support, Trump indicated that he would likely remove Powell very soon, according to two people with direct knowledge of the meeting. He also showed the lawmakers a draft letter ousting the Fed chief. A person familiar with the deliberations said the president is actively considering firing Powell but has not made the decision. Trump said in the Oval Office today he is 'not talking about that.' WEATHER PROJECT FROZEN: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was planning to debut its Atlas 15 project, a tool to help communities predict how rising global temperatures will alter the frequency of extreme rainfall, before the Trump administration suspended it, WaPo's SARAH KAPLAN reports. The project was expected to be released in two volumes: one assessing communities' current risks and another that would project how those risks will change under future climate scenarios. But work has been on hold for months after Commerce Secretary HOWARD LUTNICK ordered a review of Volume 2 this spring, according to current and former NOAA officials with knowledge of the project. National Weather Service spokesperson ERICA GROW CEI confirmed the move to delay the project, saying the review is aimed at 'making sure research dollars and technology investments are being put to the very best use for the American people.' BACK AT IT: The EPA has restarted its reorganization efforts after the Supreme Court earlier this month lifted a lower court's injunction stalling the Trump administration from restructuring the agency, POLITICO's E&E News' ROBIN BRAVENDER and KEVIN BOGARDUS report. But EPA employees will have less say in where they end up under the reconstruction because officials still want to meet a set timeline, an EPA official told colleagues in an internal email obtained by POLITICO's E&E News. The apparent move to limit employees' options signals that the agency is hustling to comply with the administration's directive to restructure federal bureaucracy. Following the Supreme Court's order, 'the agency is moving forward with making selections to fill open positions that will help the agency meet its mission and Power the Great American Comeback,' EPA spokesperson MOLLY VASELIOU said in an email. WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN: HHS Secretary ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. named a new acting chief of staff today after the departure of two senior staffers, our LAUREN GARDNER and DAVID LIM report. MATT BUCKHAM, who was previously Kennedy's White House liaison, is taking on the role immediately, an HHS spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO. His predecessor, HEATHER FLICK MELANSON, is no longer listed on the department's leadership webpage. And HANNAH ANDERSON, Kennedy's deputy chief of staff for policy, departed Tuesday, a former department official familiar with the matter told POLITICO. What We're Reading The Navy has struggled to construct ships. Now it may cut the admirals who help build them. (POLITICO's Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch) The White House's plan to downsize the federal government, in charts (WaPo's Jeremy B. Merrill, Kati Perry and Jacob Bogage) 'The powerful protecting the powerful': Democrats see an opening on Epstein (POLITICO's Elena Schneider and Nicholas Wu) Opinion | The Real Goal of Trump's Attack on Harvard Isn't What You Think (Michael S. Roth for POLITICO Magazine) POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER In 1902, following the assassination of former President WILLIAM McKINLEY, the Secret Service assumed full-time responsibility for protecting presidents, beginning with THEODORE ROOSEVELT. The law enforcement agency was initially founded in 1865 as a branch of the Treasury Department to combat the counterfeiting of U.S. currency.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
DOGE guts almost an entire department with one weekend email
The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) has been shut down by the White House and remnants of Elon Musk's DOGE initiative, with staff being fired via email. This marks the second attempt to close the federally-funded nonprofit, whose mission involved peacebuilding work in global conflict zones like South Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The initial attempt in March was blocked by a federal judge but later overturned by an appeals court, paving the way for the latest mass firings. Critics, including a former spokeswoman, condemned the shutdown as constitutional overreach, noting USIP was authorised and funded by Congress, not the Executive Branch. The closure of USIP is part of a broader pattern where the administration has sought to dismantle or scale back agencies established by Congress, including attempts to target the Department of Education and FEMA.
CNN
12-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
US Institute of Peace employees experience another round of mass firings following court ruling
Employees at the United States Institute of Peace were terminated for a second time by the Trump administration, after a federal court ruling last month paved the way, according to multiple fired employees. Liz Callihan, a now-former employee, said Department of Government Efficiency personnel installed at USIP notified the staff of the firings with a 'few remaining employees retained to conduct close-out activities and wind down USIP.' 'These actions reflect a continued pattern of DOGE's cruel indifference toward USIP's dedicated workforce. Beyond the harm to these committed professionals, such reckless actions will immediately end the important training, education, facilitation, and research work that USIP does around the world in the field of conflict resolution,' Callihan, a former senior adviser for strategic engagement at USIP, said in a statement. The administration has attempted to reimagine the role of the US abroad and dramatically dismantle key parts of the federal government through DOGE. In recent months, though, it has quietly backtracked in some cases as federal agencies have rehired and ordered back from leave some employees as a result of it scrambling to fill critical gaps. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Callihan, who has been with USIP since 2012, said it's been 'devastating' and emotional with the 'constant change and flux and tumult.' She was a part of the 'landing team,' who were brought back to rebuild operations and programs after the first round of mass firings. Those employees began receiving their termination notice Friday afternoon. The rest of the USIP workforce, who had been furloughed, began receiving their letters in the evening. USIP employees originally received termination letters on March 28, though a federal judge ruled in May that the Trump administration unlawfully removed the board of USIP and that subsequent actions taken by officials installed by DOGE to cripple the agency are therefore 'null and void.' In late June, a federal appeals court stayed that ruling, leading to this week's firings. Hodei Sultan, another employee on the landing team who was fired on Friday, has been working with the institute since 2009 and oversaw operations and strategy within the Asia center. She said the personal impact of the recent firings is 'really horrific.' 'Both on March 28 and on July 11, they have a tendency to do these mass firings at night,' she said. 'We joked about it, but 'Friday night massacre 1.0,' and last night was 'Friday massacre 2.0.' So the intention is very much mental torture and emotional anguish, whether that's inflicted on the partners and individuals in these conflict environments that so desperately need our help and support, but also the staff.' 'DOGE succeeded in getting a stay of the district court's order,' Callihan said in her statement. 'Having regained control of USIP, DOGE is renewing its mistreatment of USIP employees and its systematic dismantling of an institution authorized by Congress to promote peacebuilding efforts around the world.' USIP is not a federal agency within the executive branch. It was created by Congress as a nonpartisan, independent body in 1984 that owns and manages its headquarters. The institute, which was founded during the Reagan administration, 'promotes research, policy analysis, education, and training on international peace and conflict resolution in an effort to prevent and resolve violent conflicts, and to promote post-conflict stability,' according to a description on The Trump administration has had a series of significant wins in recent weeks, including in the Supreme Court, which, earlier this month backed Trump's effort to carry out mass firings and reorganizations at federal agencies. It put on hold a lower court order that had temporarily blocked the president from taking those steps without approval from Congress. The employees at USIP are the latest group of mass firings as part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to shrink the federal government. The State Department also began firing more than 1,300 people on Friday as part of a dramatic overhaul of the agency. The State Department firings will affect 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service officers in Washington, DC, an internal notice seen by CNN said. Those fired on Friday worked on issues like countering violent extremism; helping Afghans who fled after the Taliban takeover; educational exchanges; and issues related to women's rights, refugees and climate change. Sultan pointed to the recent firings at the State Department and said the 'US is very much losing its credence and credibility on the world stage.' 'We're completely self-isolating from the world and pulling away on this vital livelihood foreign assistance, foreign aid programs that were more than just helping people in other countries. They really were about flexing our soft power approach and making sure that we were a credible partner on the world stage,' she said.
CNN
12-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
US Institute of Peace employees experience another round of mass firings following court ruling
Employees at the United States Institute of Peace were terminated for a second time by the Trump administration, after a federal court ruling last month paved the way, according to multiple fired employees. Liz Callihan, a now-former employee, said Department of Government Efficiency personnel installed at USIP notified the staff of the firings with a 'few remaining employees retained to conduct close-out activities and wind down USIP.' 'These actions reflect a continued pattern of DOGE's cruel indifference toward USIP's dedicated workforce. Beyond the harm to these committed professionals, such reckless actions will immediately end the important training, education, facilitation, and research work that USIP does around the world in the field of conflict resolution,' Callihan, a former senior adviser for strategic engagement at USIP, said in a statement. The administration has attempted to reimagine the role of the US abroad and dramatically dismantle key parts of the federal government through DOGE. In recent months, though, it has quietly backtracked in some cases as federal agencies have rehired and ordered back from leave some employees as a result of it scrambling to fill critical gaps. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Callihan, who has been with USIP since 2012, said it's been 'devastating' and emotional with the 'constant change and flux and tumult.' She was a part of the 'landing team,' who were brought back to rebuild operations and programs after the first round of mass firings. Those employees began receiving their termination notice Friday afternoon. The rest of the USIP workforce, who had been furloughed, began receiving their letters in the evening. USIP employees originally received termination letters on March 28, though a federal judge ruled in May that the Trump administration unlawfully removed the board of USIP and that subsequent actions taken by officials installed by DOGE to cripple the agency are therefore 'null and void.' In late June, a federal appeals court stayed that ruling, leading to this week's firings. Hodei Sultan, another employee on the landing team who was fired on Friday, has been working with the institute since 2009 and oversaw operations and strategy within the Asia center. She said the personal impact of the recent firings is 'really horrific.' 'Both on March 28 and on July 11, they have a tendency to do these mass firings at night,' she said. 'We joked about it, but 'Friday night massacre 1.0,' and last night was 'Friday massacre 2.0.' So the intention is very much mental torture and emotional anguish, whether that's inflicted on the partners and individuals in these conflict environments that so desperately need our help and support, but also the staff.' 'DOGE succeeded in getting a stay of the district court's order,' Callihan said in her statement. 'Having regained control of USIP, DOGE is renewing its mistreatment of USIP employees and its systematic dismantling of an institution authorized by Congress to promote peacebuilding efforts around the world.' USIP is not a federal agency within the executive branch. It was created by Congress as a nonpartisan, independent body in 1984 that owns and manages its headquarters. The institute, which was founded during the Reagan administration, 'promotes research, policy analysis, education, and training on international peace and conflict resolution in an effort to prevent and resolve violent conflicts, and to promote post-conflict stability,' according to a description on The Trump administration has had a series of significant wins in recent weeks, including in the Supreme Court, which, earlier this month backed Trump's effort to carry out mass firings and reorganizations at federal agencies. It put on hold a lower court order that had temporarily blocked the president from taking those steps without approval from Congress. The employees at USIP are the latest group of mass firings as part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to shrink the federal government. The State Department also began firing more than 1,300 people on Friday as part of a dramatic overhaul of the agency. The State Department firings will affect 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service officers in Washington, DC, an internal notice seen by CNN said. Those fired on Friday worked on issues like countering violent extremism; helping Afghans who fled after the Taliban takeover; educational exchanges; and issues related to women's rights, refugees and climate change. Sultan pointed to the recent firings at the State Department and said the 'US is very much losing its credence and credibility on the world stage.' 'We're completely self-isolating from the world and pulling away on this vital livelihood foreign assistance, foreign aid programs that were more than just helping people in other countries. They really were about flexing our soft power approach and making sure that we were a credible partner on the world stage,' she said.
CNN
12-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
US Institute of Peace employees experience another round of mass firings following court ruling
Employees at the United States Institute of Peace were terminated for a second time by the Trump administration, after a federal court ruling last month paved the way, according to multiple fired employees. Liz Callihan, a now-former employee, said Department of Government Efficiency personnel installed at USIP notified the staff of the firings with a 'few remaining employees retained to conduct close-out activities and wind down USIP.' 'These actions reflect a continued pattern of DOGE's cruel indifference toward USIP's dedicated workforce. Beyond the harm to these committed professionals, such reckless actions will immediately end the important training, education, facilitation, and research work that USIP does around the world in the field of conflict resolution,' Callihan, a former senior adviser for strategic engagement at USIP, said in a statement. The administration has attempted to reimagine the role of the US abroad and dramatically dismantle key parts of the federal government through DOGE. In recent months, though, it has quietly backtracked in some cases as federal agencies have rehired and ordered back from leave some employees as a result of it scrambling to fill critical gaps. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Callihan, who has been with USIP since 2012, said it's been 'devastating' and emotional with the 'constant change and flux and tumult.' She was a part of the 'landing team,' who were brought back to rebuild operations and programs after the first round of mass firings. Those employees began receiving their termination notice Friday afternoon. The rest of the USIP workforce, who had been furloughed, began receiving their letters in the evening. USIP employees originally received termination letters on March 28, though a federal judge ruled in May that the Trump administration unlawfully removed the board of USIP and that subsequent actions taken by officials installed by DOGE to cripple the agency are therefore 'null and void.' In late June, a federal appeals court stayed that ruling, leading to this week's firings. Hodei Sultan, another employee on the landing team who was fired on Friday, has been working with the institute since 2009 and oversaw operations and strategy within the Asia center. She said the personal impact of the recent firings is 'really horrific.' 'Both on March 28 and on July 11, they have a tendency to do these mass firings at night,' she said. 'We joked about it, but 'Friday night massacre 1.0,' and last night was 'Friday massacre 2.0.' So the intention is very much mental torture and emotional anguish, whether that's inflicted on the partners and individuals in these conflict environments that so desperately need our help and support, but also the staff.' 'DOGE succeeded in getting a stay of the district court's order,' Callihan said in her statement. 'Having regained control of USIP, DOGE is renewing its mistreatment of USIP employees and its systematic dismantling of an institution authorized by Congress to promote peacebuilding efforts around the world.' USIP is not a federal agency within the executive branch. It was created by Congress as a nonpartisan, independent body in 1984 that owns and manages its headquarters. The institute, which was founded during the Reagan administration, 'promotes research, policy analysis, education, and training on international peace and conflict resolution in an effort to prevent and resolve violent conflicts, and to promote post-conflict stability,' according to a description on The Trump administration has had a series of significant wins in recent weeks, including in the Supreme Court, which, earlier this month backed Trump's effort to carry out mass firings and reorganizations at federal agencies. It put on hold a lower court order that had temporarily blocked the president from taking those steps without approval from Congress. The employees at USIP are the latest group of mass firings as part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to shrink the federal government. The State Department also began firing more than 1,300 people on Friday as part of a dramatic overhaul of the agency. The State Department firings will affect 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service officers in Washington, DC, an internal notice seen by CNN said. Those fired on Friday worked on issues like countering violent extremism; helping Afghans who fled after the Taliban takeover; educational exchanges; and issues related to women's rights, refugees and climate change. Sultan pointed to the recent firings at the State Department and said the 'US is very much losing its credence and credibility on the world stage.' 'We're completely self-isolating from the world and pulling away on this vital livelihood foreign assistance, foreign aid programs that were more than just helping people in other countries. They really were about flexing our soft power approach and making sure that we were a credible partner on the world stage,' she said.
