Federal judge allows Doge to get more than $500 million in office buildings for free
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell effectively allowed the transfer of the U.S. Peace Institute headquarters building to the General Services Administration.
In fact, according to Howell’s ruling, the building and all of its properties had been transferred on Saturday. “The deal is no longer just a ‘proposal’, but a completion,” Howell wrote.
The building is estimated to be worth $500 million and has become the latest focus of a week-long standoff between former college staff and so-called members of the government efficiency division of Elon Musk. On March 14, the Trump administration fired 10 members of the USIP voting committee. When USIP employees banned Doge employees from entering their headquarters in Washington, D.C., a few days later, the Doge team returned with the physical keys obtained from the former security contractor.
Takeover is both physical and institutional. Former State Department official Kenneth Jackson was appointed USIP chairman and was replaced on March 25 by Doge staffer Nate Cavanaugh, who had previously been assigned to the General Services Administration. By last Friday night, most USIP staff had received a termination notice, effectively closing the agency.
On Monday, the fight against the building passed court documents in lawsuits filed by former USIP staff against Cavanaugh, Doge, Doge, Donald Trump and other government members. Not only do they reveal that Cavanaugh has recently moved to the GSA, but that he plans to pay the government at all costs.
Cavanaugh told GSA acting executive elder Stephen Ehikian in a letter contained in the court case file that “the transfer is in the best interest of the USIP, the federal government and the United States.” In another letter dated March 29, the Director of Management and Budget Russell Vorge approved Ehikian’s request to “set up the repayment amount for free” the facility.
An application filed by a previously unreported court suggests the Trump administration’s attempt to obtain the building’s justification.
“Transfer of American institutions [sic] “Peace (USIP) headquarters facilities … are a priority for the Trump administration,” wrote GSA’s Michael Peters. GSA’s Michael Peters wrote that he was appointed as a commissioner for public building services in January and was appointed as a commissioner for public building services in the form of a transfer request. However, GSA does not have enough time to budget the cost of obtaining USIP headquarters facilities at fair market value, and the acquisition of GSA is not a direct priority for GSA, given the limited resources available in the Federal Building Fund. ”
In other words, GSA requires office space but is unable to obtain it at fair market value. (Earlier this year, the GSA targeted hundreds of government buildings, including the FBI headquarters and complex CIA facilities.)
Although Doge asserts itself among dozens of federal agencies, the USIP conflict is unique. USIP is funded by Congress, but it is an independent non-executive body. Government lawyers claimed in court documents that USIP is a “whomally owned government company” and therefore the right of GSA to transfer its property is included. USIP lawyers rejected the claim, citing the 1984 U.S. Institute of Peace Act established the institution as an “independent, non-profit national institute.” They also claim that the headquarters itself is “a large amount of private funds and private contributions received from the endowment fund.”
Howell previously rejected the USIP request for a temporary restraining order that would restore the institute’s board of directors. Her final ruling in this case is expected to be filed at the end of April.
This is a developing story. Please check it for updates.
Other reports by Matt Giles.
