DOJ Shutters Long‑Running Community ‘Peacemaker’ Office

📌 Key Facts

DOJ has effectively shuttered its Community Relations Service, historically known as 'America’s peacemaker,' and is laying off most of its approximately 60 staffers.
A June 2025 Trump administration report declared the CRS mission 'does not comport' with current law‑enforcement and litigation priorities, and the FY2026 budget request cuts CRS staffing from 56 to zero, with DOJ estimating $24 million in savings this year.
A DOJ spokesperson says CRS functions have been shifted into U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide and claims the transition will save more than $11 million while making the department 'more efficient and effective.'
From 2021 through 2024, CRS ran over a dozen formal mediations and more than 100 training programs, including major deployments to Minneapolis during the trial and sentencing of Derek Chauvin in the George Floyd case.
Former CRS officials warn that eliminating a neutral mediation office during rising clashes between federal agents and cities like Minneapolis and Portland will make it harder to build trust and avert unrest.

Many conservatives on X celebrate the DOJ's closure of the Peacemakers office as a necessary step to eliminate bureaucratic bloat and refocus on core law enforcement priorities, arguing that community mediation efforts have become overly politicized and ineffective in addressing real crime issues.
Progressive users highlight the historical role of the Community Relations Service in mediating racial and community tensions since the civil rights era, viewing its shutdown as a dangerous rollback of federal support for vulnerable communities amid rising social unrest.
Military veterans and service members express concern over the Pentagon's directive to Stars and Stripes, fearing it undermines the newspaper's editorial independence, which has been crucial for providing unbiased information to troops since World War II.
Free speech advocates on X argue that mandating the removal of 'woke distractions' from Stars and Stripes represents government overreach into journalism, potentially setting a precedent for broader censorship in publicly funded media outlets.
Some bipartisan voices point out the irony in reinstating laid-off Peacemakers staff shortly after the shutdown, suggesting internal administrative chaos and questioning the long-term strategy for handling community conflicts without dedicated federal mediators.

Based on 3 sources