Trump Admin Plans for $500 Million USIP Building May Violate Court Order, Former Staff Say
Last year, the The Trump administration and members of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have taken over the US Institute of Peace (USIP), an independent non-profit organization. Since then, the ousted organization’s board and staff have been fighting to reclaim the USIP building in Washington, DC and for their jobs to be reinstated in a long-running lawsuit.
Now, in a letter sent by the Department of Justice (DOJ), representatives of USIP’s fired board and employees argue that management is violating the court-ordered agreement by making material changes to the structure and, in their understanding, moving forward with new agreements. Specifically, the letter requests information on whether the State Department has signed an agreement to use the structure of the “Peace Board,” a new international organization under the control of President Donald Trump’s personal life that seeks to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
“They operate under the guise that they have a license to use the building, spend the money, manage the building any way they want,” said George Foote, a former USIP leadership and staff adviser. “Staying is not a concession to the loser in the case of hijacking the property of the winning team.”
On March 17, 2025 DOGE members arrived at USIP and forced their way into the $500 million building; shortly thereafter, the Trump administration fired most of the organization’s board. USIP, although created and funded by Congress, is a private organization, not a federal agency. This did not stop Trump from issuing an executive order to close USIP.
In May, the court ruled that the management’s seizure of the USIP building and the dismissal of its employees were illegal; the following month, an appeals court overturned that decision. This returned the building to management control while the appeal was pending.
In December, the Trump administration renamed the building the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, even attaching the president’s name to its structure. But this, apparently, was just the beginning.
According to the letter, “USIP’s acting president recently signed a ten-year term
memorandum of understanding (‘MOU’) with the State Department, in which hundreds of State Department employees will move into the USIP building.” The letter alleges that under the terms of this agreement, USIP will bear the cost of building maintenance and security, and the State Department will be compensated for damage to USIP property. To accommodate the influx of new people, the letter says, “construction is already underway to renovate work areas in the USIP building.” This amendment, the letter says, “would impose significant, costly, and unnecessary obstacles” if USIP is ultimately able to regain control of the building in a final court case.
Which State Department employees will live in the USIP building is unclear, but a presentation given by the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at the World Economic Forum raised warnings for USIP staff and board. Kushner used a slide deck to outline plans for a new “Peace Board” and the redevelopment of Gaza; the picture of the USIP building was the last slide. The letter asks the government to “verify whether the Administration has any plans to place a ‘Peace Board’ at USIP headquarters.”
“The government does not have a license to rename the USIP headquarters building or lease it for 10 years. It certainly does not have the right to open a new international organization like the proposed Peace Board,” said Foote.
The letter also asks for verification of USIP funds, which Foote said he is concerned could be used “to renovate this building for State Department leasing purposes, so our donor money is being used to benefit the State Department.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
