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#USIP employees told WaPo that 200–300 people — nearly the entirety of USIP’s HQ staff — had been fired. The employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of #retribution from the #Trump admin, said some employees were offered severance & one additional month of health insurance, in exchange for their signatures to WAIVE their RIGHTS to sue.

The “Friday night massacre,” as #USIP’s employees were terming the sweeping terminations, is the latest action in what has become a rapid fire of sudden cuts & hostile takeovers across govt & quasi-govt agencies over the past 2 months, implemented by #Musk & #DOGE.

The #USIP has a total staff of about 600 people in offices worldwide. It is actively involved in negotiating #peace deals & helping #war-torn countries & regions to implement peace settlements & rebuild, including in the #Philippines, sub-Saharan #Africa & #Ukraine.

“We put mediators in place to help stitch these communities back together,” said one employee. “So it does have a dramatic effect on #violence on the ground immediately by just pulling these assets out.”

…#USIP & members of its fired board filed a lawsuit, naming #DOGE & its reps, #Trump & members of his Cabinet. The suit claims the #ExecutiveBranch had no authority to dismiss the leadership & staff of the institute because it was created by the #LegislativeBranch [#Congress], nor could it take over USIP’s privately owned HQ building. Briefs in the case are scheduled during April, with a hearing near the end of the month.

In the latest action, employees were instructed to sign a 4-pg letter ordering them to return all #USIP property while agreeing to forgo all future claims against the institute. It ordered them not to disclose any terms of the agreement in exchange for 1 month of #HealthInsurance & a monthly stipend paid for an unspecified period. Those who refuse to sign, the letter said, will lose all #benefits as of Monday.

The termination emails were riddled w/mistakes — w/employees’ names, the month of April & even the institute’s title misspelled in places — a telling sign of the rushed & haphazard nature of the operation….

By Saturday morning, the terminated #USIP headquarters staff were already discussing filing a class-action lawsuit & were debating whether to sign their termination documents.

#USIP’s building is privately owned by the institute & paid for through the institute’s endowment, 2 employees said, unlike its overseas programs & staff salaries, which are paid through federal funds appropriated by #Congress. “So to me this seems like the most egregious violation of the #law,” said one employee.

[Prior to this] A federal judge had condemned the process through which the #Trump admin seized control of USIP but declined a motion for a #TRO.

@Nonilex just disgusting. All of it. As civil servants they can not just be fired. Cowardly judges.