In a surprising move, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has appointed a young software engineer, Nate Cavanaugh, as the head of the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), a White House official confirmed to The Daily Beast.
A controversial appointment amid institutional resistance
The appointment comes just weeks after USIP initially refused to grant DOGE officials entry into its offices, escalating tensions between the agency and Musk’s government overhaul initiative.
Cavanaugh, 28, will now take charge of the federally funded institute, replacing George Moose. The transition follows an earlier announcement by Deputy White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly, who stated that Moose had been replaced by Kenneth Jackson, a State Department official who has been working closely with DOGE to dismantle international agencies.
“George is actually a career bureaucrat who wants to be unaccountable to the American people,” Kelly remarked.
However, the institute has pushed back against DOGE’s intervention, asserting that the board must include 12 members appointed with Senate approval and that it should remain bipartisan.
DOGE takeover sparks legal battle
The power struggle over USIP escalated when DOGE officials, including Jackson, arrived to assume control of the agency, only to be turned away. Hours later, they returned with a document signed by Senator Marco Rubio, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and DOGE executive Garvin, claiming Moose had been officially removed.
USIP’s legal team countered, asserting that the institute operates as an independent agency and that the president lacks the authority to unilaterally dismiss board members. Despite this, DOGE personnel, escorted by law enforcement, eventually gained entry to the building.
Moose, decrying the move as an illegitimate seizure, claimed Musk’s department had effectively “broken in.” DOGE has denied these allegations.
The FBI also intervened, warning USIP of potential consequences for refusing access to government officials, according to the institute’s attorneys.
Who is Nate Cavanaugh?
Cavanaugh’s background lies not in diplomacy or public service but in legal technology and financial services. A tech entrepreneur, he co-founded Brainbase, a startup that specializes in intellectual property and licensing agreements, which secured $8 million in venture capital funding and counted major clients like Sanrio and BuzzFeed. He also co-founded Flowfi, an accounting software company.
In 2021, Forbes recognized him in its prestigious 30 Under 30 list for enterprise technology.
Cavanaugh’s connection to DOGE remains relatively recent. Before joining Musk’s agency, he had never worked in the U.S. government. However, during his tenure at DOGE, he was reportedly seen interviewing employees at the General Services Administration, The New York Times reported.
Speaking to Fortune in 2020, Cavanaugh described his interest in legal technology, calling the field “very unsexy, but it suits me as I wanted to do something difficult.”
With his appointment now in effect, Cavanaugh faces the challenge of leading an institute that has openly resisted DOGE’s influence—a test of both his leadership and the limits of Musk’s government shake-up.