Tipsheet

Police Escort DOGE Staffers to Enter Institute of Peace After Standoff

Jeff Charles
Jeff Charles  |  March 18, 2025 12:30 PM

Staff members with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) entered the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) on Monday evening after a standoff.

The staffers were accompanied by armed Metropolitan police officers and Kenneth Jackson, the organization’s newly-appointed president. This came after DOGE made several unsuccessful attempts to access the building.

In one instance, they went to the building with FBI agents and were still rebuffed. DOGE’s interest in entering USIP’s building came as part of a broader mandate from President Donald Trump to significantly downsize federal agencies while doing away with government bureaucracy as much as possible.

USIP is technically a private entity, but it is funded and controlled by the federal government. The president decides who leads the group. Earlier this month, Trump fired most of the organization’s board members and replaced them with his own officials.

DOGE appears intent on installing Jackson in his new position while it begins work on auditing the organization. The agency in a post on X, claimed the previous president, George Moose, “denied lawful access” to the acting president, which necessitated the use of police officers.

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From Axios:

DOGE said on X Monday evening Moose had "denied lawful access to Kenneth Jackson, the Acting USIP President (as approved by the USIP Board)."

  • Metropolitan Police Department officers "arrived onsite and escorted Jackson into the building," per the post.
  • "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."
  • Police officers "responded to a call for service for Unlawful Entry" and "individuals left the premise without incident and no arrests were made" following their arrival, the MPD said in an emailed statement on Monday night.

This episode has garnered criticism from folks on the left, who argue that DOGE was going overboard. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), in a post on Bluesky, said he went to the building to “conduct congressional oversight” over “DOGE’s break in.”

He added: “USIP is an independent, non-profit entity and I will work to stop DOGE’s illegal power grab.”

I was at USIP tonight to conduct congressional oversight over DOGE’s break in. I spoke with Acting President & CEO Moose. USIP is an independent, non-profit entity and I will work to stop DOGE’s illegal power grab.

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— Congressman Don Beyer (@beyer.house.gov) March 17, 2025 at 8:54 PM

Others also slammed DOGE for using the police to enter the building.

However others pointed out that USIP is not a traditional nonprofit organization. It essentially functions as a government entity despite not being a part of the executive branch.

This incident is part of the overall controversy surrounding DOGE as it seeks to cut down on wasteful spending while streamlining government operations.