Most staff of the US Institute of Peace laid off in Trump's latest crackdown on federal agencies

As US President Donald Trump and his government continue with the crackdown on federal employees, reports are emerging that most of the employees at the US Institute of Peace have received an email notice that they have been fired from their respective roles on Friday. The congressionally created and funded think tank was already taken over by billionaire Elon Musk’s unofficial “department of government efficiency”.

According to The Associated Press, the emails were sent to personal accounts because most of the staff members had lost access to the organisation’s system. It was sent out at 9:00 PM on Friday. One senior official at the institute, who spoke on the condition of told the Associated Press that several in the human resource department and some overseas staff were spared from this wave of laying off.

It is pertinent to note that the congressional-funded organisation had around 300 people working before the mail was shared. Some of the others who are retained for now are regional vice presidents who will be working with the staff in their areas to return to the US, said one employee affected by the layoff.

White House responds

One of the White House spokespeople Anna Kelly said in an email on Saturday that the institute “has failed to deliver peace” and that Trump “is carrying out his mandate to eliminate bloat and save taxpayer dollars”.  The letter to the staff read: “Your employment with us will conclude”, according to one longtime employee who shared part of the communication. A second email, obtained by the AP, said the terminations were at the direction of the president.

Workers were given until 7 April to clear out their desks. The institute was targeted by an executive order issued by Trump last month. Three other agencies working on conflict resolution were also called for closure. Board members, who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and the institute’s president were fired.  Later, there was a standoff as employees blocked Doge members from entering. Doge staff gained access in part with the help of the Washington police.

After a lawsuit was filed, US district judge Beryl Howell chastised Doge representatives for their behaviour but did not reinstate the board members or allow employees to return to the workspace.

George Foote, a former institute lawyer fired this month who is with one of the firms providing counsel in the current lawsuit, said lawyers were consulting Saturday to discuss possible next steps. He said employees are not part of the pending lawsuit, so they would have to file separate cases.

With inputs from the Associated Press.