Trump administration targets US Institute of Peace with mass Friday firings

Employees at the United States Institute of Peace received termination letters Friday evening as the Trump administration continues to reimagine the role of the US abroad and dramatically dismantle key parts of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency.

Employees at the United States Institute of Peace received termination letters Friday evening as the Trump administration continues to reimagine the role of the US abroad and dramatically dismantle key parts of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency. A vast majority of the non-profit’s staff received termination notices Friday evening, said a source who was terminated and who requested anonymity to speak freely without jeopardizing their severance package. “Everyone received a personal letter that outlined that they were terminated as of March 28 and that health care would end March 31,” the source said, noting that employees would be paid for work done through Friday, as well as for any remaining vacation time. 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 usa.gov. Its official website has been taken down. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February taking aim at the Institute of Peace, an effort, the order said, to “dramatically reduce the size of the Federal Government, while increasing its accountability to the American people.” George Foote, who was counsel to the US Institute of Peace until he was dismissed by DOGE, is now involved in litigation aimed at convincing a judge to recognize that the US government and DOGE’s efforts to dismiss top officials at the organization is illegal.