By admin 
Members of Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) were blocked from entering a small federal agency focused on economic development in Africa, sparking a dramatic standoff with staff.
A tense standoff unfolded on Wednesday at the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) as workers prevented members of Elon Musk’s Doge unit from entering the agency’s Washington headquarters. The Doge team, acting on Donald Trump’s directive to shut down the agency, was met with firm resistance from staff who refused to comply.
Despite being denied entry, Doge operatives returned on Thursday with U.S. Marshals and Peter Marocco, the acting director of the defunct U.S. Agency for International Development. This time, they gained access to the building, though no staff were present, according to an official familiar with the situation.
Later that day, USADF President Ward Brehm filed a lawsuit accusing Doge, Marocco, and the White House of disregarding legal procedures and attempting to dissolve the agency unlawfully. The complaint alleges that the Doge team used deceptive tactics and intimidation to achieve its goal.
“If Doge succeeds in shutting down USADF, the impact will be felt across Africa and in the U.S.,” Brehm stated.
Trump’s broader effort to overhaul federal bureaucracy has led to numerous legal challenges, with courts frequently ruling against attempts to terminate aid programs and dismiss federal workers.
On Wednesday, USADF staff instructed security to bar the Doge team, citing a directive from Brehm. In a letter reviewed by The Guardian, Brehm had explicitly stated that no such meetings could take place in his absence.
“I look forward to working with Mr. Marocco once he is legally appointed to the board and confirmed by the Senate,” Brehm wrote. “Until then, he has no authority to represent USADF.”
Approximately 30 employees were in the office when Marocco and the Doge team—described as young men carrying backpacks—arrived to enforce Trump’s executive order from February 19, according to The Washington Post.
The agency’s refusal to comply has been praised as a bold act of defiance against Trump and Musk’s push to dismantle parts of the federal government.
“This is the little agency that could,” one government official remarked.
Trump’s order seeks to shut down USADF along with three other agencies: the Presidio Trust, the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), and the U.S. Institute of Peace. Earlier this week, a similar confrontation occurred at IAF’s headquarters.
Democratic lawmakers have condemned the move as unlawful, arguing that the executive branch lacks the authority to dissolve independent agencies created by Congress.
“Any unilateral attempt to dismantle USADF through executive action is illegal and exceeds constitutional limits,” Democratic members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote in a February 24 letter to Trump.
A government official clarified that USADF, unlike agencies such as USAID, is a congressionally chartered entity managed by a board of directors confirmed by the Senate.
“ADF can only be dissolved by an act of Congress,” the official explained. “Its president answers solely to the board, not even to the president of the United States.”
Founded in 1980, USADF provides grants to small businesses and grassroots organizations aiding underserved communities in Africa. From 2019 to 2023, it distributed $141 million in grants to 1,050 enterprises, benefiting over 6 million people.
Gill Bikram Singh