President Donald Trump just scored a major win in his push to shake up the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), a move that’s got the D.C. establishment buzzing.
The Daily Caller reported that a federal appeals court cleared the way for Trump to restructure or even dissolve the USIP, overturning a lower court’s block and affirming his authority to remove board members at will.
Let’s rewind to March 2025, when Trump first dropped the bombshell that he intended to dismantle the USIP, a nonpartisan outfit created by Congress to promote peacebuilding and conflict prevention globally.
Shortly after his announcement, Trump dismissed five board members, signaling a no-nonsense approach to what he sees as bureaucratic overreach.
Enter the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which paid a visit to USIP headquarters and demanded access to internal data and systems—a move that didn’t exactly scream “peaceful negotiation.”
What DOGE uncovered raised eyebrows: an armory with weapons, contracts worth $130,000 to a former Taliban member for vague services, and unspent funds funneled into private accounts for luxuries like private jets.
Speaking of funds, USIP gets about $55 million annually from Congress, yet apparently doesn’t feel the need to return what it doesn’t spend—opting instead for off-the-books accounts free from oversight.
Elon Musk and DOGE team members didn’t mince words on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime,” calling USIP the agency that resisted oversight “the most aggressively.” Well, if the shoe fits, perhaps it’s time to rethink what “peace” means in practice.
DOGE also branded USIP as “the least peaceful” agency, a quip that hits harder when you consider the private jet receipts piling up while taxpayers foot the bill.
The ousted board members fought back, claiming their removal overstepped constitutional bounds and demanded congressional involvement, but their initial victory was short-lived.
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell sided with them at first, calling the administration’s actions a display of “brute force” and temporarily restoring USIP’s control over its headquarters.
That ruling didn’t last, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit stepped in on June 27, 2025, lifting Howell’s order and siding squarely with Trump’s executive authority.
The appeals court, in a decision by a three-judge panel, stated, “As a general rule, the President may remove executive officers at will,” a straightforward reminder of where the power lies. If that’s not a wake-up call to agencies expecting endless autonomy, what is?
The court further argued that USIP wields significant executive influence, meaning its board isn’t shielded from presidential oversight, and blocking Trump’s actions could cause “irreparable” harm to his authority.
Now, with this ruling, the Trump administration can press forward with plans to overhaul or outright eliminate USIP, a move that’s sure to keep the debate over government efficiency raging.
For conservatives tired of seeing taxpayer dollars vanish into questionable programs, this feels like a long-overdue reckoning, though one must empathize with those at USIP who genuinely believed in their mission.