George Moose, an official associated with the U.S. Institute of Peace, said it is not a federal agency or in a federal building.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said its staffers, along with acting U.S. Institute of Peace President Kenneth Jackson, entered the institute’s headquarters in Washington with police amid what it described as a standoff.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) wrote on the social media platform Bluesky that he was at the building to “conduct congressional oversight” and claimed DOGE engaged in a “break in” at the facility. He said he spoke to George Moose, the former acting head of the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), describing it as “an independent, non-profit entity.”
“I will work to stop DOGE’s illegal power grab,” Beyer said.
Current USIP employees said staffers from DOGE entered the building despite claims that the institute is not part of the executive branch. USIP called the police, whose vehicles were outside the building on Monday evening.
While speaking with reporters, Moose said that USIP is a “private, nonprofit corporation in the District of Columbia … and therefore, not a federal agency.” He also said that he and his staff were preparing for weeks for such an event.
He said the institute’s headquarters, located across the street from the State Department, is not a federal building. Speaking to reporters after leaving the building, Moose noted that “it was very clear that there was a desire on the part of the administration to dismantle a lot of what we call foreign assistance, and we are part of that family.”
Moose vowed legal action and alleged that “what has happened here today is an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private nonprofit.”
In a March 17 post on social media platform X, DOGE stated that Moose allegedly “denied lawful access [by] Kenneth Jackson, the Acting USIP President (as approved by the USIP Board),” to the building. Officers with the DC Metropolitan Police Department later “arrived onsite and escorted Mr. Jackson into the building,” according to DOGE.
“The only unlawful individual was Mr. Moose, who refused to comply, and even tried to fire USIP’s private security team when said security team went to give access to Mr. Jackson,” DOGE said in its statement.
Mr. Moose denied lawful access to Kenneth Jackson, the Acting USIP President (as approved by the USIP Board). @DCPoliceDept arrived onsite and escorted Mr. Jackson into the building. The only unlawful individual was Mr. Moose, who refused to comply, and even tried to fire USIP’s… https://t.co/Fy8hJClx9E pic.twitter.com/yqq81qNKXM
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) March 18, 2025
DOGE’s post included a document showing a resolution issued by USIP’s board of directors, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to remove Moose as head of the agency and replace him with Jackson.
