The US Institute of Peace retook control of its headquarters Wednesday, two days after a federal judge said the firing of its board and employees by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency was illegal. The institute's acting president, George Moose, entered the organization's headquarters with private security and the institute's outside attorney for the first time since being escorted off the premises during the DOGE takeover, the AP reports. Moose and most of the institute's board were fired in March, part of the mass slashing of the federal workforce spearheaded by Musk.
The institute and many of its board members filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration soon after, seeking to prevent their removal and stop DOGE from taking over its operations. US District Judge Beryl Howell's opinion on Monday reversed DOGE's actions. Speaking after a short examination of the headquarters, Moose said all appeared to be in order. "I didn't see anything, any destruction, if you will, no damage that I can see that is visible," he said. Moose, a former ambassador and career member of the Foreign Service, said human resources, technology, and finance staffers would be in the building Thursday getting the nonprofit ready to welcome back its workforce. He expects to bring back all employees who want to return.
The Trump administration, which did not immediately return a request for comment, has 30 days after Monday's ruling to file a notice of appeal. The judge's ruling said the administration did not have authority to unilaterally dismantle the institute, which was established by Congress in 1984 as an independent organization to promote peace and seek to end conflicts around the world. The saga began when President Trump issued an executive order in February that targeted the institute and three other agencies for closure. The first attempt by DOGE to take over the headquarters led to a standoff. DOGE returned days later with the FBI and District of Columbia Metropolitan Police. Moose said the goal now is to get back to the work the institute was created to do: "projects, ideas that are, we believe, of interest to the American people."
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