Nearly all of the institute’s U.S.-based staff members were fired and asked to sign a separation agreement, according to notices reviewed by The Times.

Most employees at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a congressionally created and funded think tank now taken over by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, have received email notices of their mass firing — the latest step in the Trump administration’s government downsizing.

Employees at the United States Institute of Peace received termination letters Friday evening as the Trump administration continues to reimagine the role of the US abroad and dramatically dismantle key parts of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency.