Though the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been shown to be extremely popular among the American electorate, a significant amount of resistance to its efforts continues to mount in official Washington, D.C.

Additional evidence of the bureaucratic hostility toward the initiative spearheaded by President Donald Trump emerged on Wednesday, when DOGE staffers were blocked from entering the headquarters of the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF), as The Hill reports.

Turf war unfolds

The aforementioned confrontation unfolded when five DOGE staff members, along with deputy acting chief of the U.S. Agency for International Aid (USAID) Peter Marocco, arrived at the USADF office around 12 p.m.

Marocco, an integral part of Trump's push to dismantle USAID, was denied access to the USADF headquarters, along with the representatives from DOGE.

According to The Hill, the Trump administration has plans to place Marocco at the helm of USADF, a move that would presumably bring with it a dramatic shift in management approach to that of the current leadership.

The administration-aligned group remained on the premises for roughly an hour before leaving without achieving the access they desired.

Though the precise reason for Wednesday's standoff was not immediately clear, the current chair of USADF, Ward Brehm, dispatched a communication to a staffer within DOGE to offer his rationale.

Agency chair explains

Brehm said in his letter to DOGE that he “specifically instructed the staff of USADF to adhere to our rules and procedure of not allowing any meetings of this type without my presence.”

The agency chief further asserted that Trump would have to officially install Marocco to the USADF board in order for him to have any authority over its operations.

Staking out an arguably defiant posture couched in conciliatory verbiage, Brehm added, “I will look forward to working with Mr. Marocco after such time that he is nominated for a seat on the Board and his nomination is confirmed by the Senate.”

He went on, “Until these legal requirements are met, Mr. Marocco does not hold any position or office with USADF, and he may not speak or act on the Foundation's behalf.”

The presence of Marocco and DOGE staffers at the USADF offices was likely linked to a Feb. 19 executive order issued by Trump, entitled “Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” mandating an end to “non-statutory components and functions” of the agency.

Democrats cry foul

On Feb. 24, Democrats dispatched a letter of their own, contending that the Trump administration lacks the authority to shutter an agency such as USADF, created and authorized by Congress.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Foreign Relations Committee ranking member issued a statement of her own, declaring, “President Trump's attempt to bypass the law and install his unconfirmed loyalist as an Acting Chair of the Boards of both the Inter-American Foundation and the United States African Development Foundation as a means to terminate their programs and their staff is unlawful and unacceptable,” but whether the Democrats' objections stand a chance of derailing DOGE's plans, only time will tell.