Institute employees face another round of terminations after a court decision
In a move that aligns with a broader effort to reimagine the role of the United States abroad and dismantle key parts of the federal government, the Trump administration has carried out a second round of mass firings at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). This action follows a complex legal battle regarding the administration's authority to overhaul and dismantle the agency.
The USIP, established in 1984 as a nonpartisan, independent body by Congress, promotes research, policy analysis, education, and training on international peace and conflict resolution to prevent and resolve violent conflicts, and to promote post-conflict stability. The recent firings have left the institution in a state of uncertainty and its mission impaired.
Initially, in March 2025, the Trump administration fired more than 200 USIP employees, effectively terminating most of its remaining U.S.-based workforce. This action was part of a push by the administration to break apart USIP and reduce its operations. However, Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court ruled in May 2025 that these firings were "unlawful" because they followed the illegal removal of USIP's board by the administration, which nullified subsequent actions including staff terminations and the headquarters' transfer to the General Services Administration.
Despite the district court ruling, two weeks before July 2025, the U.S. Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit stayed the lower court’s decision, allowing the Trump administration to go ahead with the layoffs again. This stay effectively put the legal ruling on hold and enabled a second wave of firings to proceed.
The terminations were announced by Department of Government Efficiency personnel, and the firings will affect employees working on issues like countering violent extremism, helping Afghans who fled after the Taliban takeover, educational exchanges, and issues related to women's rights, refugees, and climate change.
The abrupt and repeated firings have severely disrupted the workforce's stability and morale. Hodei Sultan, a USIP employee who has been working with the institute since 2009, stated that the recent firings are causing the US to lose its credence and credibility on the world stage. Liz Callihan, a former senior adviser for strategic engagement at USIP, described the actions as a continued pattern of DOGE's cruel indifference toward USIP's dedicated workforce. Some employees have described the recent firings as "mental torture and emotional anguish."
The Trump administration's moves are widely seen as testing the "unitary executive" theory—an expansive view of presidential power that asserts the president’s control over the executive branch cannot be constrained by Congress. Rather than seeking legislative repeal or reform, the administration sought to undercut the agency’s operations through staff terminations and administrative actions, effectively incapacitating USIP without congressional approval.
The firings at USIP align with similar mass layoffs at other federal agencies like the State Department, where over 1,300 employees were laid off as part of a Trump administration reorganization plan that critics say will damage U.S. global leadership.
In conclusion, the Trump administration’s second round of mass firings at USIP followed a federal court ruling that initially blocked these actions but was temporarily stayed on appeal. The firings are part of a broader strategy to assert executive control over independent agencies, significantly disrupting USIP’s workforce and operations in pursuit of dismantling the agency without legislative approval, while leaving its employees in a state of uncertainty and the agency’s mission impaired.
- The Trump administration's second round of mass firings at the USIP, aimed at testing the "unitary executive" theory, follows a legal battle concerning policy-and-legislation, as the federal court ruling initially blocked these actions but was temporarily stayed on appeal.
- The USIP, a nonpartisan, independent body that provides research, policy analysis, education, and training on international peace and conflict resolution, is severely impacted by the ongoing war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, and general-news issues, with its mission and stability impaired due to the repeated firings.
- The Trump administration's decisions to dismantle agencies like the USIP and carry out mass firings, such as those at other federal agencies like the State Department, are causing concern among critics who argue that these actions undermine policy-and-legislation, weakening the United States' global leadership and credibility on the world stage.
