Lawyers for former U.S. Institute of Peace staff say the organization’s acting president has signed a 10-year deal with the State Department — a move they argue would violate a judge’s order limiting changes to the embattled institution.
That agreement, the lawyers warn, would relocate hundreds of State Department staff into the USIP building, which is expected to house President Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace in the coming months.
The USIP building is a gleaming, Washington-based landmark located just north of the city’s Lincoln Memorial, and one that’s been under the subject of litigation for nearly a year. Last February, Trump issued an executive order that labeled USIP, a congressionally funded body focused on peacebuilding, “unnecessary” and ordered its staff and programs to be scaled back to its statutory minimum.
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
