Latest news with #USInstituteofPeace
Washington Post
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Appeals court puts peace institute back in Trump administration hands with stay of lower court
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court panel on Friday stayed a lower court ruling that blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with dismantling the U.S. Institute of Peace , an organization taken over in March by the Department of Government Efficiency, then led by Elon Musk. The three-judge panel with the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit issued the stay, saying the Trump administration's appeal of U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell's opinion would likely succeed on the merits. The stay added that the president would face 'irreparable harm from not being able to fully exercise his executive powers.'
Associated Press
12 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Appeals court puts peace institute back in Trump administration hands with stay of lower court
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court panel on Friday stayed a lower court ruling that blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with dismantling the U.S. Institute of Peace, an organization taken over in March by the Department of Government Efficiency, then led by Elon Musk. The three-judge panel with the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit issued the stay, saying the Trump administration's appeal of U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell's opinion would likely succeed on the merits. The stay added that the president would face 'irreparable harm from not being able to fully exercise his executive powers.' The judges said in their decision that the nonprofit think tank that focuses on peace initiatives engaged in activities that fall under the purview of the executive branch. The appeal's court action is the latest turn in the government's shutdown of the USIP, which had been turned back over to the organization's board and acting president following Howell's May 19 ruling. It also places the staff's attempt at restarting its operations in limbo. President Donald Trump issued the executive order in February that targeted the institute and three other agencies for closure in an effort to deliver on campaign promises to shrink the size of the federal government. The first attempt by DOGE to take over the headquarters led to a standoff. Members of Musk's DOGE group returned days later with the FBI and Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police to help them gain entry. The institute and many of its board members sued the Trump administration March 18, seeking to prevent their removal and to prevent DOGE from taking over its operations. The firing of the board was followed by a Friday night mass firing by email on March 28, which threw the workforce into turmoil. DOGE transferred the administrative oversight of the organization's headquarters and assets to the General Services Administration that weekend. Howell, in a lengthy opinion in May, reversed the action when she determined the organization was not part of the executive branch and therefore Trump did not have authority to fire its board and acting president. She ruled that all subsequent actions, including the firing of most of the staff, the cessation of operations and the takeover of its headquarters and assets, were illegal as well. Howell denied a government request for a stay of her opinion while the government appeals, a move that led acting president George Moose and others to reclaim the headquarters and begin trying to ramp USIP's operations back up. Those efforts have been slow going, with much of the staff still furloughed and operations in parts of the world shut down. It was unclear Friday if there would be another change of hands of the headquarters. The White House was not immediately available for comment. A press statement from the organization said 'we will continue to fight for USIP's right to fulfill its commitment to our congressional mandate and to control USIP's headquarters, funds, and operations to the fullest extent of the law. We remain confident we will prevail in this case and we look forward to continuing our critical work both at our headquarters in Washington, DC and in conflict zones around the world.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Doge staff ‘left Washington office littered with marijuana and cockroaches'
Elon Musk's Doge team reportedly left a government-funded institution littered with beer bottles, drugs and cockroaches. Mr Musk, who left his job in Donald Trump's administration last week, attempted to dismantle the US Institute of Peace (Usip) and lay off most of its workers earlier this year, but was blocked by a court order. Although it was established by and receives the bulk of its endowment from Congress, it is technically an independent organisation which its leadership says keeps it beyond the control of Mr Trump and his allies. When employees returned last month to the interview, which is tasked with preventing conflict around the world, they reportedly found it full of cockroaches and rodents, with leftover marijuana and empty beer bottles strewn about. Colin O'Brien, Usip's head of security, cited witnesses who said Doge workers were 'smoking weed in the building', according to Politico. The Economist reported earlier this month that cleaners at Usip's Washington headquarters had found marijuana that had seemingly been thrown out by Mr Musk's team. The Tesla boss reportedly embarked on an intense drug habit during his time on the campaign trail, to the point where he allegedly developed a bladder issue because of his ketamine consumption, The New York Times reported last week, citing people familiar with his activities with access to alleged evidence. Mr Musk denied the allegations and accused the newspaper of 'lying their a-- off'. Mr O'Brien said hundreds of laptops, which had previously been turned over to Doge staffers, were found stacked haphazardly on top of each other, while chargers were found in bins. Numerous flags bearing the name of the institution had been removed from the building, he added. 'It was neglect,' he said. 'These folks don't know how to run a large, multi-building commercial office complex.' Usip became a flashpoint in Mr Musk's push for government cuts this year when Doge staffers repeatedly tried to gain entrance to the building. In March, they finally managed to make their way in, prompting Usip's acting president George Moose to declare they had 'broken into our building ' and declared it 'an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch'. Some staff were forcibly removed from the building by police, and were sacked by the Trump administration two weeks later. However, Usip workers were reinstated and allowed back in the building in May when a court declared the takeover 'unlawful' and said it had been conducted by 'illegitimately-installed leaders'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Doge staff ‘left Washington office littered with marijuana and cockroaches'
Elon Musk's Doge team reportedly left a government-funded institution littered with beer bottles, drugs and cockroaches. Mr Musk, who left his job in Donald Trump's administration last week, attempted to dismantle the US Institute of Peace (Usip) and lay off most of its workers earlier this year, but was blocked by a court order. Although it was established by and receives the bulk of its endowment from Congress, it is technically an independent organisation which its leadership says keeps it beyond the control of Mr Trump and his allies. When employees returned last month to the interview, which is tasked with preventing conflict around the world, they reportedly found it full of cockroaches and rodents, with leftover marijuana and empty beer bottles strewn about. Colin O'Brien, Usip's head of security, cited witnesses who said Doge workers were 'smoking weed in the building', according to Politico. The Economist reported earlier this month that cleaners at Usip's Washington headquarters had found marijuana that had seemingly been thrown out by Mr Musk's team. The Tesla boss reportedly embarked on an intense drug habit during his time on the campaign trail, to the point where he allegedly developed a bladder issue because of his ketamine consumption, The New York Times reported last week, citing people familiar with his activities with access to alleged evidence. Mr Musk denied the allegations and accused the newspaper of 'lying their a-- off'. Mr O'Brien said hundreds of laptops, which had previously been turned over to Doge staffers, were found stacked haphazardly on top of each other, while chargers were found in bins. Numerous flags bearing the name of the institution had been removed from the building, he added. 'It was neglect,' he said. 'These folks don't know how to run a large, multi-building commercial office complex.' Staff carried out 'illegal takeover' Usip became a flashpoint in Mr Musk's push for government cuts this year when Doge staffers repeatedly tried to gain entrance to the building. In March, they finally managed to make their way in, prompting Usip's acting president George Moose to declare they had 'broken into our building ' and declared it 'an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch'. Some staff were forcibly removed from the building by police, and were sacked by the Trump administration two weeks later. However, Usip workers were reinstated and allowed back in the building in May when a court declared the takeover 'unlawful' and said it had been conducted by 'illegitimately-installed leaders'.
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Federal judge blocks Trump dismantling of US Institute of Peace
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Institute of Peace, writing in a ruling that the removal of its board members and the takeover of its headquarters by members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are actions that are "null and void." The response this week from U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell comes after the Institute filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in March calling for "the immediate intervention of this Court to stop Defendants from completing the unlawful dismantling of the Institute and irreparably impairing Plaintiffs' ability to perform their vital peace promotion and conflict resolution work as tasked by Congress." "The Administration removed the Institute's leadership, including plaintiff Board members and its president in contravention of statutory limitations, and had personnel from a newly created federal office, called the Department of Government Efficiency, forcibly take over the Institute's headquarters on March 17," Howell wrote in her ruling. "With a newly installed USIP president, the Administration then handed off USIP's property for no consideration and abruptly terminated nearly all of its staff and activities around the world." "Congress's restrictions on the President's removal power of USIP Board members are squarely constitutional, and the President and his Administration's acts to the contrary are unlawful and ultra vires. The actions that have occurred since then – at the direction of the President to reduce USIP to its 'statutory minimums' – including the removal of USIP's president, his replacement by officials affiliated with DOGE, the termination of nearly all of USIP's staff, and the transfer of USIP property to the General Services Administration, were thus effectuated by illegitimately-installed leaders who lacked legal authority to take these actions, which must therefore be declared null and void," she added. The Institute of Peace is an independent, national institution funded by Congress that was established in 1984 under the Reagan administration to promote peace and diplomacy on the international stage. "Congress has endorsed USIP's important work by continuing to fund the Institute through appropriations bills signed by seven different Presidents from both major political parties, including the current President during his first term in office," Howell said in the ruling. "In a drastic and abrupt change of course, within the first month of his second term, President Trump unilaterally decided that USIP is 'unnecessary,' issuing Executive Order 14217 to this effect, and then his Administration rushed through actions, including removal of Board members, to reach the professed goal of reducing all of USIP's operations and personnel to the bare minimum to perform only mandated statutory tasks, while ignoring the broader statutory goals set out for this organization to fulfill," she also said. Ultimately, Howell concluded, the Trump administration's actions "represented a gross usurpation of power and a way of conducting government affairs that unnecessarily traumatized the committed leadership and employees of USIP, who deserved better." The White House did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. In March, it said the Trump administration gutted the Institute of Peace of "rogue bureaucrats" who held a tense standoff with a DOGE team that required police intervention. "Rogue bureaucrats will not be allowed to hold agencies hostage," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said at the time. "The Trump administration will enforce the president's executive authority and ensure his agencies remain accountable to the American people." The administration now has 30 days to file an appeal to the ruling. "The United States Institute of Peace has existed for 40 years on a $50 million annual budget, but failed to deliver peace," Kelly told the Associated Press. "President Trump is right to reduce failed, useless entities like USIP to their statutory minimum, and this rogue judge's attempt to impede on the separation of powers will not be the last say on the matter."
