The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiated a hostile takeover of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in 2025, marking a radical shift in federal governance. By bypassing legal protections for the independent, non-profit organization, DOGE operatives—backed by the FBI and local police—seized the building, fired staff, and liquidated assets. Security chief Colin O'Brien’s efforts to defend the institution underscored the vulnerability of "mongrel" entities that operate outside direct presidential control. DOGE’s public accusations of fraud, including claims regarding private aviation and payments to foreign assets, relied on mischaracterizing standard legal operations and humanitarian missions as waste. This takeover illustrates the broader transition toward a government model where institutional independence is dismantled in favor of absolute executive authority, replacing established civil service norms with a system driven by political loyalty and raw power.
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