Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) is pressing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “cancel or curtail” U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial Board of Peace, arguing it threatens to sideline the United Nations and concentrate unprecedented authority in the hands of one individual.
In a Feb. 19 letter, Markey said the initiative—originally pitched as a mechanism to help oversee a Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction—has “morphed into an overt attempt to replace the United Nations with a new entity” that Trump controls.
Trump formally unveiled the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, and it held its inaugural meeting in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 19. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803, adopted in November 2025, welcomed the Board of Peace as a transitional administration to help rebuild the Gaza Strip.
Under the board’s charter, Trump, who was designated its chairman, retains sweeping authority over budgets, agreements and peace‑building initiatives, with no term limit and sole power to determine membership and organizational structure. Markey stated that the framework stands in stark contrast to the U.N. resolution’s limited mandate through 2027.
The senator added that the U.S. State Department has offered little detail to Congress beyond saying the board would “oversee Gaza’s reconstruction, economic recovery and the coordination of public services and humanitarian aid.” Instead, Markey wrote, the charter grants binding authority “concentrated in the hands of its chairman, Donald Trump.”
Markey also criticized what he described as a “pay‑to‑play” membership structure, noting that countries contributing more than $1 billion could avoid standard term limits.
Additionally, he expressed concern over media reports that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been invited to join the board and said Russian President Vladimir Putin—whose forces continue military operations in Ukraine—was also invited.
“Putin and Lukashenko have no place on a ‘Board of Peace,’” he wrote.
Calling the initiative “a blatant power grab,” Markey asked Rubio to provide detailed responses by March 6 on the board’s legal authority, congressional oversight and how Palestinian representatives will be included.
“The American people deserve clear and honest answers about the administration’s approach,” he stated.
